This Oscar season we yet again have some wicked Bahston films up for consideration. After “The Departed” stole the show back in 2007, now we have 2010’s “The Town” and “The Fighter” competing for those shiny naked man trophies.
I originally had no interest in seeing either of these films. My first impressions were simple, I thought: “Oh, it's Rocky set in Boston...” and “Oh, it's Ben Affleck...,” but I would now find these judgments to be premature. Both films are appealing and original in their own ways, and they show different parts of the area.
“The Town” is set right in Charlestown, a neighborhood in the city of Boston, which seems like a fit for Affleck seeing as he was raised on the “mean” streets of Cambridge. And just in case you're not quite sure where the movie takes place, Affleck makes sure to showcase lots of Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins gear throughout the film. Some scenes were shot in Harvard Square, right around where I worked at the time, and I had the opportunity to walk through sets while they weren't filming. At the time I had no idea what was being shot, but it was still pretty neat to see all the equipment and preparation that went into one scene. So for me seeing “The Town” was cool if only for the fact that I know exactly which bank they robbed, where they ate lunch, and silly stuff like that.
The movie itself is fairly simple: set in Charlestown, which apparently has the highest number of bank robberies per capita in the U.S., Affleck is Doug MacRay, a bank robber who's trying to get out of crime after finding the love of his life. This girl, however, is also an unknowing witness to their last big heist. And of course he needs to take care of one last big job before he leaves. He has complicated relationships with his family and friends, but who doesn't really? Some of these complications involve his working crew, which includes his best friend James played by Jeremy Renner. Renner is almost channeling his character from 2008’s “The Hurt Locker” as the trigger-happy wild man. Oh, and to top it all off Affleck also has a baby that may or may not be his. (OOPS!)
The movie plays out over several exciting bank jobs, car chases, shootouts, and tense conversations eventually leading up to the big job. At times the dialogue can seem a little forced and some monologues in particular sound like Affleck wrote them specifically to win his Oscar, but fell flat in reality. One memorable scene occurs between MacRay and his father, played by a very old looking Chris Cooper, while the two are arguing through visiting room glass during the father’s jail sentence. The tension between the two characters, especially over MacRay’s mother is very palpable. Even though it’s a short scene, it sticks out in my mind among all the gunfights and sirens.
The movie as a whole is enjoyable. It has some clichés thrown in for good measure near the conclusion when trying to wrap up all the loose ends, but nothing too distracting. There is also an epic win moment that involves a note left on a car windshield in the wrap up montage. With all this said I still think “The Town” falls short against movies like “The Fighter” and “True Grit,” but is still a successful film. I'd definitely recommend checking it out especially if you're a fan of spooky Halloween masks.
“The Fighter” is set in Lowell, Mass., and showcases a very different kind of Bay Stater. Taken very broadly this film is about family and the bonds that keep them together...or drive them completely crazy. The fighting that’s done outside the ring between Micky (Mark Wahlberg) and his family, or even Dicky (Christian Bale) vs. Crack (Bonnie Aarons) seem to have more impact, although less physicality, than the actual boxing. Almost every actor in this film has a very distinct and recognizable role, except for maybe the gaggle of sisters who really could have been credited as one person (fun trivia fact: One of the sisters is played by the sister of Conan O'Brien. She's the one who looks like a clean-shaven Conan with a wig on).
Early on in the film you might have trouble figuring out who's the main character — I knew, but still felt like both Mickey and Dicky share equal parts of the screen they both deserve. Christian Bale puts on an incredible show as a struggling crack addict looking to make his “comeback.” He's spent the last few years banking on the disputable fact that he knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard, while also training his little brother Micky to be just like him. Except for, ya know, the whole crack thing.
Bale revisits his “Machinist” days where he showed dramatic weight loss by crash dieting. He's even sporting a little bald spot that makes a couple cameo appearances, but he dives headfirst into the role of a man struggling with addiction. Dicky might also be considered “the fighter” of the film as a former boxer who let his big chance slip away; he trains his brother while fighting for his life and livelihood.
What this film does better then “The Town” is create a serious dramatic tone: the family dynamic is exaggerated and animated, but at the same time seems brutally honest in its portrayal of a common Lowell household. The accents are so harsh at times that even when the mood is serious people laugh every time someone drops an F-bomb. This is pretty frequent in both films and I can only assume it functions to sell the realism of the time and the locale. As an added bonus, seeing Christian Bale jump out of a window several times is particularly hilarious.
The way the film itself was shot, using different kinds of film to differentiate between the movie, the documentary, and HBO stock footage is unique. The three iterations blend together almost flawlessly in a way that does not distract, but works to clarify and carry the story forward. The actual boxing scenes are well choreographed, and the lighting sometimes reminded me of old boxing paintings. The makeup department also really did a great job beating the hell out of Mark Wahlberg, and he was really looking pretty ragged after some of the fights.
In the end I'd have to say “The Fighter” is the better wicked Bahston movie. While the story seems familiar sometimes, I feel it was the characters that made this film worthwhile. If it were up to me, I'd make sure all the actors in the movie received some little token recognizing their work on the film. Even Sugar Ray Leonard and the handicapped kid who only showed up like twice. Everybody!
Written by Andrew
Edited by Aaron
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Hey, everyone! Be sure to check out Andrew's foodie blog, The Boston Gastronauts!
http://bostongastronaut.wordpress.com/
-Tim
Written by Andrew
Edited by Aaron
_________________________________________________
Hey, everyone! Be sure to check out Andrew's foodie blog, The Boston Gastronauts!
http://bostongastronaut.wordpress.com/
-Tim
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