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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Ben Affleck superb in Boston Irish drama 'The Town' now a likely Oscar contender

Posted on Friday, September 17, 2010 at 11:51 PM

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Whatever it is about the Boston Irish they sure make great movie material.

A few years back 'The Departed' relocated from its original Hong Kong location to the gangster world of South Boston.

'The Departed' finally won an Oscar for Martin Scorsese and Jack Nicholson gave a memorable performance as a Southie Irish boss based loosely on Whitey Bulger.

Before 'The Departed' was Mystic River.

Sean Penn won for his working-class Irish role also set in Boston Irish land.

The 2003 film was nominated for six academy awards

Now comes 'The Town' a taut thriller starring Ben Afleck set in Charlestown the gritty working class Irish enclave,

Next month comes 'The Fighter' the biopic based on the life of Irish Mickey Ward whose rise from the mean streets of Lowell, a Boston suburb, gave Boston the true equivalent of 'Rocky'

Judging by the trailer 'The Fighter' is in exactly the same milieu, a working class Irish guy trying to escape his roots but being dragged back continuously into his past

'The Town' is a magnificent movie catching the gritty spirit and hard scrabble streets of Charlestown.

The scenes in local Irish shebeen bars and of Irish families feuding and loving are truly remarkable.

Pete Postlethwaite as an evil old Irish native luring kids into crime until they are locked in.

He is memorable in his role the best since his Oscar nomination for 'In the Name of the Father' another Irish role.

Ben Affleck and a terrific supporting cast bring to life the incestuous cheek by jowl existence in close knit Irish neighborhoods.

The Oscars may be held in L.A. but the road to them may well be through gritty Irish neighborhoods in Boston.

Not for the first time the Irish in Boston may come up trumps for O'scar.

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seagreen | Jan 05, 2011, 11:12 AM EST

This is not gangster glorification, but a portrayal to white America. It is arguable that to much of the population the tough, violent, secretive, and blood related lifestyle of this area did, and to some extent does exist. This is an American male population that has had the male psyche modified to the point where they are afraid to say boo!! They are seeing an existence within their country that they did not think existed. The "Departed" was accurate. I'm a long way from there now, but when questioned where I came from, and I tell people that I went to South Boston High, they look at me like I am an untouchable. Working in the cargo holds of ships on the Boston docks (weekends) when I was seventeen was an education of silence, nods, and unspoken understanding. More than once I was told that the reason I was there was because I was one of them! Was all that happened admirable, or worth glorification, or even right. Perhaps not, but the story being told is how a certain group survived while being transparently encircled by a population that would just as soon have them disappear

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CullenAbroad | Sep 18, 2010, 08:40 PM EDT

Hope it's a winner!

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murphy66 | Sep 18, 2010, 04:01 PM EDT

If Affleck's in it, it's got to be a loser.

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Rebelforce | Sep 18, 2010, 12:41 AM EDT

Well Hollywood can't very well portray blacks, Orientals, Jews, or Moslems as criminals in their movies can they? Negative ethnic portrayals like that would be quickly denounced as "racist" and "politically incorrect". But the Irish are always fair game to portray as "gritty" criminals, low life hoods, corrupt cops and alcoholic street brawlers in todays trashy Hollywood flicks. And Niall O'Dowd thinks these kind of movie portrayals of Irish-Americans are great. Who knows, maybe he'll even get himself an invite to a Hollywood Oscar party out of it.

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