The Town Review

--Crew--
Ben Affleck...Director

--Cast--
Ben Affleck as Doug McRay
Jon Hamm as Adam Fawley
Rebecca Hall as Claire Keesey
Jeremy Renner as James "Jem" Coughlin

//Review

“The Town” is a heist film, and it’s brilliant.

The first scene rocks like an explosion, a hard punch to the gut and the chase begins. There’s poetry in the film, too. Filled with splendid visuals from Ben Affleck’s wonderful direction; a scene of  gentle gliding footsteps toward a body of water comes to mind. The framing in the film is positively exquisite.

Doug MacRay’s (Ben Affleck) only obsession lies in finding a meaningful future for himself. MacRay wants to leave Charlestown, a city that means living there is surviving it. The story is riddled with conversations about moving toward a greater future; a clear and definite meaning in life, sought by a man desperately in need of an escape from his birth place. It’s about the American dream and MacRay wants his piece.

Comparisons to Michael Mann’s “Heat” are inevitable. Like “Heat,” “The Town” is a film about a team of expert thieves intent on pulling off large-scale heists. Yet, the two films differ considerably in tone and character development. This isn’t Mann’s “Heat” and having an expectation for the film to mirror “Heat” would render enjoyment of Affleck’s “The Town” to mediocre levels. “The Town” is far more romantic than “Heat” ever had been. The relationship between MacRay and his lover Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) seem innocent and honest, at times, almost naïve. The love is so pure that by the end of the picture, it comes as a shock when the couple doesn’t produce an offspring and give their daughter a hyphenated last name.

Affleck’s MacRay is confident without the lingering aftertaste of jackass. He’s appealing because he’s straightforward and decent. He isn’t looking to hurt others. He just wants to steal money. Presumably this is all in an effort to develop financial means to escape his home town. We get to see MacRay at his best in the company of his lover Keesey, at his worst when dealing with the criminal world. He’s a man first before being a criminal. He plays by a set of rules, structured and intent on redeeming himself from a life he never chose.

MacRay’s motives are always known to the audience, he virtually lacks duality because his morality is consistent as a man and as a thief. Films like “Scarface,” “Godfather” and “Good Fellas” feature protagonists that happen to be villains. But aside from his vigilantism in robbing banks, MacRay doesn’t exhibit corrupted morality or an appreciation for outright violence. He’s a pacifist but isn’t afraid of pulling the trigger when antagonized or hurt by the conditions forced unto him.

Putting the pressure on MacRay is FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) who represents the upper class world MacRay desperately combats with. What “The Town” cleverly reveals is that Charlestown isn’t simply an American city but a metaphor for social boundary. Not only does Frawley represents the successful Irish-American man connected with the larger world, he also represents an entire social class that wants to prevent MacRay’s integration with it. The American dream MacRay desperately attaches himself to doesn’t want him because he’s not good enough.

How can MacRay leave Charlestown if the world won’t accept him?

MacRay’s right hand man, James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) is pure violence. Though standing nearly a foot shorter than MacRay, Coughlin is much more intimidating. He beats people with the butt of guns, stares holes through bullet proof vests and walks with the biggest on screen swagger since Humphrey Bogart. He’s brash and unpredictable with his demeanor. And when Coughlin discusses loyalty to family and friendship, it surprises the audience because his crude actions contradicts his internal beliefs.

He believes that there is good, though he himself might never be that light of morality. The character is creatively written and fully realized through Renner’s incredible portrayal of this conflicted man.

The action sequences are expertly shot and choreographed. The realism to the violence is refreshing, the car chase in the film feels potent and raw. “The Town” delivers in hard hitting action, easily attributed to Affleck’s instincts as a director coupled with his wonderful sense of motion.

Affleck’s previous directorial effort came in “Gone Baby Gone.” With “The Town,” Affleck solidifies a second career as a director. Though he is a great performer, as exhibited in the film, Affleck can quit acting and make a living as a director. It’s that well shot.

“The Town” is a vivid portrayal of the earnest American dream, the desire to have more and live happily. It’s about moving from one socio-economic order to another one. It’s about class barriers and heritage, and above all else, it’s a great film.

Machete

--Crew--
Robert Rodriguez...Director

--Cast---
Danny Trejo as Machete
Robert DeNiro as Senator McLaughlin
Jessica Alba as Santana Rivera
Steven Seagal as Torrez

--Review--

Machete is big, bloody fun.

The first 10 minutes of “Machete” unfold like a blood soaked orchestra. Loud gun fire, obnoxious gore and full frontal nudity splash the grainy screen. At times watching “Machete” feels like watching the hidden mind of some demented human being. Its digitally altered visual style mimics the grindhouse films from of the late ‘70s, furthering a feeling of frenzy.

Director, Robert Rodriguez is known for making two very distinct film series; the “El Mariachi” trilogy and the “Spy Kids” series of films.

“Machete” isn’t really like any of those two pictures.

Surprisingly a highly political film, “Machete” engineers a plot revolving around the construction of a border fence between Mexico and the United States. The stakes are high and values are questioned.

Machete (Danny Trejo) doesn’t ooze the specific cool demonstrated by Antonio Banderas in Rodriguez’s “Desperado.” Instead, Machete delivers in a menacing way. His weapon of choice is his namesake. Rather than being graceful with weaponry, Machete is pure brutality. Entire limbs come off during the course of the picture. Nothing is done in an overt grizzly fashion but clearly, Machete isn’t the John Woo inspired flick that is “Desperado.”

Trejo doesn’t talk much. He mutters a bit and starts attacking. It’s a character design thoroughly calculated in other genre’s films like “Terminator.” Other than being intimidating, there isn’t much to go on in the way of Machete’s character. At times his character is interchangeable with any other bad-ass. He doesn’t throw out clever one-liners. Instead, he’s too busy using intestines to break his fall from one floor to the next.

Trejo’s dialogue is limited and left to the majority of the other cast members. Cheech Marin cleverly shown in the film’s trailer is left with little more than exposition in the feature length film. The cast is rapidly expanded by Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson and a pre-jail stint Lindsay Lohan. It should be noted that Steven Seagal also plays a major role in the film’s plot line.

Make sure the bad guy isn't you.

Seagal’s false Hispanic accent is a huge payoff for the film. It’s neat seeing Seagal play a role that is out of his comfort zone. Seagal is used to playing a lumbering Zen martial artist. Here in “Machete” Seagal plays a lumbering Mexican drug lord with knowledge of martial arts. With a tinge of villainy, Seagal comes off as a good antagonist for Trejo. Not many actors can play opposite the granite glare of Trejo and be a believable nemesis. Thankfully, Seagal is present for this role.

Robert DeNiro plays corrupt Texas Senator John McLaughlin and like Seagal brings out a heavy accent for his character. DeNiro humors the audience with a Texas drawl and a cowboy hat. His character rails against “change” because to him America is always perfect.

Michelle Rodriguez plays Shé, a character allusion to the South American revolutionary Che Guevara. Nothing is particularly special about her performance.

Far too little time is devoted to each character. The screen time shared amongst all of them appear equal, lending the sense that all characters exist on an equal footing to each other. Even the titular hero’s screen time appears on an equal footing with the film’s secondary characters. This inability to divert strong scenes for specific actors and their characters leads to the films major weaknesses.

It’s an unbalanced film, no single scene in Machete delivers memorably.

Although action, plot and minor character development live in “Machete” nothing stands out quite like the humor.

A physician telling Machete that surgical tools capable of cutting human flesh with a completely dry delivery will be of no use to the hero brings uproar from the audience.

When the line “You better learn to become Mexican fast” is uttered by one character to another, the other character begins to don a sombrero, a plaid shirt and poncho. It’s a clever moment playing on stereotypes to create humor and not prejudice.

All the witty parts of Machete will require a second look. The action is brutal, but like the script, it feels occasionally clumsy. This is clearly a choice by the director, but having well thought out action sequences could bring Machete to another tier in the action film genre.

In many ways “Machete” delivers on Rodriguez’s original fake trailer that inspired the full-length film. “Machete” is filled with bloody action, senseless nudity and some absolutely hilarious moments. Less character management and a shorter runtime would help the picture tremendously.

"Machete" is an enjoyable thrill ride and a great action film to round out the end of the summer movie season.