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The Town: Extended Cut
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Andy James & Noor Razzak (8th May 2011). |
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The Film
 Ben Affleck’s "The Town" is a solid film that is occasionally very, very good. There are a few bumps along the way, and it’s not as outstanding as his debut directorial effort "Gone Baby Gone" (2007), but overall it makes for fine entertainment and marks Affleck as a talented filmmaker to watch. "The Town" finds Affleck back in his old stomping grounds of Boston again. Specifically, Charlestown: the armed robbery capital of America. Affleck is Doug MacRay, the lead of a very professional stick-up crew: they’re assigned targets (armoured cars and banks), scope them out and learn their patterns. Only once they have a solid plan in place do they launch into action. They cover all the angles: full masks and body cover, misleading DNA, no fingerprints and they torch their getaway cars. They are, as Jon Hamm’s FBI Special Agent Frawley notes, “the not f**king around guys.” During the opening bank heist they kidnap Rebecca Hall’s Bank Manager Claire, just in case, before releasing. In the following days Affleck begins to keeps an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t know too much. They end up dating and falling in love. So, the story has an obviously interesting hook and plays it out more as a romance than a tense thriller. What this really is, is a collection of some of the finest actors working giving solidly great performances. Affleck shows he’s still got charisma and charm as the tough but sweet Doug MacRay. His right-hand man, and the closest thing he has to family, is the violent Jim Coughlin played by Jeremy Renner with an easy intensity. It’s the kind of role I think Renner could do with his eyes closed at this point. Rebecca Hall is an actress I’ve loved since her wonderful performance in "Vicky Christina Barcelona" (2008). The role of Claire is not entirely thankless, with some big emotional scenes, even if she is a little too perfect (she’s successful, funny, smart, beautiful and hey! Helps out needy neighbourhood kids and has an allotment garden!). On the other end of the spectrum is Blake Lively (from "The O.C." (2003-2007) or "Gossip Girl" (2007-Present) or something, right?) who is surprisingly amazing as Renner’s single mother sister (and Affleck’s occasional casual partner), the drugged out and drunk Krista Coughlin. Pete Poselthwaite (always nice to see) is casually menacing as Fergie “The Florist”, the man who sets up the robberies and becomes a threat to Doug and Claire. And Chris Cooper pops in for a scene! One scene! As Affleck has decided to focus on the romance, you care for how the relationship between Doug and Claire will turn out, but at the loss of possible tension. Hamm’s Agent Frawley is someone I would’ve like to have seen more of, if just to get the sense that the Feds are constantly closing in. However, Affleck stages truly phenomenal robbery scenes; the penultimate one having one of the best car chase scenes in recent history as the crew run from the cops down the narrow streets of Boston. When the film works, it works. I, for one, am looking forward to Affleck’s next directorial effort and only hope that he takes the chance to stretch his legs out of Beantown and crime. This Blu-ray features both the original "Theatrical" cut version of the film as well as an "Extended" cut version using seamless branching.
Video
Warner's has presented "The Town" in its original theatrical ratio of 2.40:1 in HD 1080p 24/fps and mastered in AVC MPEG-4 compression. The image is rock solid, with excellent detail and color definition. The HD image brings out all the griminess of the locations, the historic streets of Boston look great in this transfer that maintains the aesthetic the filmmaker's were after. Colors are solid, skin tones appear natural (although Blake Lively was a little too "fake tan" at times), blacks are deep and inky while shadow details maintains consistency throughout. The film's photography is well preserved in this transfer, and for a recent film you wouldn't expect any less. It's a pristine picture.
Audio
A single English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is included mixed at 48kHz/24-bit. The soundtrack is offered on both versions of the film. Matching the excellent image is an equally excellent audio track. The sound quality is impressive as the track features a complex mix that perfectly integrates all aspects of sound into a wonderful marriage that'll put your surround system through a decent work-out. Dialogue us clear and distortion free, ambient and environmental surrounds sound natural and well placed. The best part about this track is the booming nature of the heist scenes, the action scenes scream off the screen in all it's car-chase-gun-battle glory. The sound is terrific, pure and simple. Optional subtitles are features in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Warner Brothers has included an audio commentary, a 6-part featurette, an extended cut scene indicator, BD-Live access, plus a second disc featuring a DVD with a standard definition version of the film plus a digital copy version as well. Below is a closer look at these supplements. DISC ONE: First up is a feature-length audio commentary with director Ben Affleck, Afflect makes a decent commentator for over two hours taking viewers through the filmmaking process. He discusses the development of the script, the casting and working with some fine actors, the ability to shoot in his home town and use some real people as extras. He comments on the themes and story arcs, the action scenes and the characters among other things. He's an engaging speaker and comments on a variety of topics that provides a near-comprehansive look at the making of the film, the challenges faced and how they went about filming some of the more technical scenes. It's certainly worth listening to. The next feature is the "Ben's Boston" Focus Points (1080p) a 6-part featurette that breaks down the filmmaking process, the parts can be viewed as a whole with a "play all" option or individually, the parts included are: - "Pulling off the Heist" runs for 2 minutes 51 seconds and takes a closer look at this cool scene. - "The Town" runs for 4 minutes 57 seconds, takes a look at the town of Charlestown where the film is based. - "Nuns with Guns: Filming in the North End" runs for 4 minutes 52 seconds, this takes a look at the filming of the armored car robbery scene. - "The Real People of the Town" runs for 3 minutes 6 seconds, this clip focuses on the real people from Charlestown used as extras in film. - "Ben Affleck: Director and Actor" runs for 7 minutes 34 seconds, this section looks at the man behind and in front of the camera and how he's regarded by his cast. It's a vanity piece about what a great filmmaker he is... boring. - "The Cathedral of Boston" runs for 7 minutes 3 seconds, takes a look at the film crew's shooting inside the famed Fenway Park. The disc also features extended cut scene indicator that marks the new scenes added into the "Extended" version of the film. Finally the disc also includes BD-Live access for profile 2.0 players only. DISC TWO: This is a DVD version of the film that also features a digital copy version of the film.
Overall
The film review was originally published on the blog Rockets and Robots are Go! by Andy James. ----------------------- Support us by purchasing this disc online at Bluraysforeveryone.com, they specialize in store exclusives and limited editions both new and used, plus have a wide range of new releases and catalogue titles. Join their reward program and earn points towards your purchases. Best of all for overseas customers they are customs friendly and offer great cost-saving shipping options. Check them out for some cool limited editions. 
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