The Town (2010)

A deer caught in the headlights is the perfect metaphor for Animals. Facing danger in the middle of the road, it freezes, unable to decide which way to go. For a moment, it seems almost willing to get run over rather than make a move. Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort has the same problem. Its characters find themselves in increasingly desperate situations, but the film seems just as lost, jumping between a kidnapping thriller, a marriage drama, and political satire without figuring out how to make these elements work together. The result is a frustrating, uneven film that falls short of Affleck’s best work, particularly Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo.

At the center of the story is Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck), a progressive mayoral candidate who has built his public image around honesty and integrity. When his family is threatened, those principles become much harder to maintain. The interesting question isn’t whether Mark is a hypocrite. It’s whether he ever truly believed in the values he preached, or whether he simply never had to sacrifice anything important for them. It’s easy to talk about doing the right thing when the consequences fall on someone else. It’s considerably harder when your own family is on the line.

One of the film’s most obvious shortcomings is its treatment of women. Abby, Cecilia, and Dayle Burton may occupy very different positions in Mark’s life, yet they all end up feeling like convenient pieces in his personal puzzle. They are there to complicate his choices, expose his weaknesses, or help him find a way through the mess he has created. The problem isn’t simply that the women have limited screen time or imperfect characterization. It’s that the film rarely seems interested in who they are when Mark isn’t the one at the center of the story.