The Town, trailer

(thanks JUN)

Aside from the knockout cast and fascinating dynamics of the premise, there’s another thing that jumps out at me from this trailer for The Town that gives me a tingle of appreciation. The phrase “From the studio that brought you…” is something we don’t see much anymore, and I like the pride inherent in the plug.

Warner Bros does indeed seem to be reestablishing a sterling reputation it once held 60 years ago as the home of urban crime thrillers with a distinctive aura of grit and gloss. In recent years, Warners has been specializing in sophisticated cops-and-robber films again. Not just The Departed association featured here, but I’d say both Nolan’s Batman films have deep roots in noir detective films, and Inception involves a crackerjack heist scheme. Even movies like Michael Clayton, The Brave One and Gran Torino have a high-quality morality-play sheen that sets them a rung or two above most stories of grown-up intrigue. It’s a run of top-notch adult dramas to make other studios envious, and kudos to Warners for being justly proud about it.