Don’t forget! December 17th is the day that The Town will be released on dvd & blu-ray.
Affleck’s editing turns on ‘The Town’
For all the emphatically positive first-run reviews Ben Affleck earned for his directing and acting in “The Town’’ (2010), his adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s Charlestown heist crew novel, “Prince of Thieves,’’ the focus was mostly on the drama. The film certainly boasts fine performances all around — Affleck gets support from Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker’’) as his hair-trigger partner in crime; Rebecca Hall (pictured at right with Affleck), as a post-robbery liability who hijacks Affleck’s heart; and Jon Hamm as a driven FBI agent. (That makes Hamm’s second hard-line fed this week, counting an uncredited cameo in “The A-Team.’’)
But take note: If you know someone who’s getting, say, that new LED set or next-generation Blu-ray player for Christmas, the film’s stunningly executed action is just the sort of thing these toys are meant to showcase. More should have been made of Affleck’s work on this front, and not just for his logistically boggling feat of commandeering Fenway for a full-scale shootout. His staging of an armored car job on the streets of the North End is a pretty dazzling piece of tight-squeeze chase choreography and bang-bang editing, as anyone who’s ever had to rush to make a dinner reservation on Hanover Street will instantly recognize. Apparently Affleck has kept at that little editing hobby he spoke of when interviewed during the ramp-up to “Gone Baby Gone.’’
Extras: Affleck supplies commentary. Blu-ray includes an extended cut and the featurette we demanded: “Nuns With Guns: Filming in the North End.’’ (Warner, $28.98; Blu-ray, $35.99; available Dec. 17) [source]
