The Full Effect is Found in The Town's Ultimate Collector's Edition: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: a Blu-Ray copy of this film was provided by Warner Bros.

Director: Ben Affleck.

Writer: Peter Craig, Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard and Chuck Hogan.

Cast: Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite.

The Town wowed this film fan back in 2010 when the film was released in theatres. There was just so much action and excitement to take in. The film was released in various formats later that year. Most recently, Warner Bros. has offered a the "Ultimate Collector's Edition," which houses a lot of extras from the film (March 6th, 2012). This latest version hosts extra scenes and extended shots along with alternate endings. All of these extras fully explore the relationship between bank robber Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and Claire (Rebecca Hall). The relationships are given more time in general and the story develops at a more even keel.

For those who have not heard, The Town follows four bank robbers who live in the Charlestown district of Boston. The film tends to focus on Doug and his pseudo-brother James (Jeremy Renner). They have grown up together in this haven for criminals. The brothers look at criminal life in two different ways. Doug wants out of the life that his father created for him. His father is also a long time criminal. Meanwhile, James has given himself over to a life of crime; he sees no way out. Doug manages to break away from the criminal life, after bank robberies and armoured car heists, with the help from a beautiful bank manager. Love blossoms briefly, but hope seems to be the central message of the film. Even criminals can change.

And finding that hope can be difficult in Charlestown. This 1 square mile of real estate houses the most bank robbers anywhere from across the globe. The drug dealing, and violence is also a part of this world as described in Chuck Hogan's book, Prince of Thieves. Although fiction, this novel and film seem to accurately capture what life could possibly be like in this poor neighbourhood.

The "Ultimate Collector's Edition" explores this area in detail. This release comes with a map that shows Doug's and James' crime spree which begins in Cambridge and carries over into Fenway Park. The details are there to be seen with statistics and graphics. This version of the film also hosts: mug shots of the four robbers, fighting Irish tattoos, an FBI file on suspect Desmond Elden, a personal message from director Ben Affleck and a photo montage with character sheets. All of this material creates a type of mystique for the film.

The extended film footage in this release also creates a deeper understanding for the character's therein. The relationship between Doug and Claire is given more time. Their courtship is made more believable as the lead (Affleck) breaks into a boat to impress her. There is more dialogue between these two characters and the bond they form seems more realistic when compared to the theatrical version. There are also more scenes of violence when James and Doug go looking for local thugs or when they hash out old rivalries. All of this extra material brings the film in at the two and half mark, but the film seems to fly by despite a slightly slower pace.

This edition of The Town is recommended for fans of the original film. There is more material here for the film aficionado. There honestly are hours of video to peruse and the film reviewed here was the "Extended Cut with Alternate Ending." The "Original Theatrical Version and Extended Cut" is also included with a digital copy in this "Ultimate collector's Edition." With all this material you might feel like you are one of the robbers heisting local security guards as the film pulls you into a dangerous criminal underworld.

Overall: 8.5 out of 10 (a great film, this is the comprehensive version with many, many extras).

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Posted in: 2012,2012 release,ben affleck,blake lively,chuck hogan,crime thriller,jon hamm,movie review,the town