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Everyone has secrets
Coming home to small town Renton after receiving some shocking news about his family is harder than 30 year old Mark could ever have imagined. He always had a strained relationship with his parents, his grandmother Betty is now living in his childhood bedroom and he barely knows his teenage sister Jodie. He finds things even more difficult when he meets his first love Alice, who is now married with a child. But as Mark struggles to come to terms with a new life, he finds that the ties between enigmatic Inspector Franks from the local police and his family are stronger than they first appear - and that Renton is a town full of secrets where everyone knows something you don't.
Featuring an all star cast including Andrew Scott (Sherlock), Julia McKenzie (Marple), Avigail Tlalim, Charlotte Riley (The Take) and Martin Clunes (Doc Martin), The Town paints a picture of contemporary Britain through the fictional market town of Renton. This very ordinary place is not a city, and yet not the countryside - a place full of newbuild housing estates, average schools and street fairs. Renton has lost its industries and traditions, but the people are still desperate for a sense of purpose and community. They face the same challenges we all do, but are also defiantly entertaining, enjoying life as much as they possibly can.
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After a very active day out with the kids we headed home when the rain started. The kids headed straight to the couch to watch a DVD and I thought that was a great idea and set myself up on the computer to watch The Town. This is rated M and suitable for Mature Audiences 16 years and over. I would say that is probably about right and wouldn't advise letting younger family members watch this as it does deal with some difficult adult themes. It is subtitled in English.
I am a huge fan of British television and absolutely love some of the dramas produced through BBC and ITV so had been looking forward to watching The Town for a while. I was not at all disappointed. This DVD grabs your attention right from the first few scenes where Jodie finds her parents dead in bed. I can't write anything more about the plot because it is so full of twists and turns that I was just gripped to the screen and I don't want to give even the faintest hint of what happens as it will ruin the whole precious 2 hours and 15minutes! The actors are superb and Martin Clunes is obviously a big draw card and rightly so, a brilliant match for his character as are all the actors.
I will however say don't have a complete freak out at "how can it end like this!" when the first credits come up! This was made for television and is in three episodes. "Phew" was all I could say when I realised. Use the breaks as a chance to do whatever you need to do (In my case realise what the time was and go cook dinner) because in between you won't want to leave the screen. The acting is absolutely superb, the script brilliant, the musical score perfect. This was the best movie/programming I have seen for quite a while. If you like British Drama then hopefully, like me, you will absolutely love this DVD. The Town is a Top Ten in my book and I would definitely recommend it.
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