User reviews

Ben Affleck has proved he is good at directing movies. That's not to say this was a mindblowing movie, it was a very competent, well acted, well directed movie with some humor at moments and some intense action sequences.

The movie follows Doug MacRay, a bank robber who pursues a woman he and his crew had just abducted to try and befriend her. Relationships get complicated and the usual drama follows. Ben Affleck can be surprisingly affecting in his roles - he is a rather likable character despite being a crook. His other crew are not so memorable - Jeremy Renner is an interesting portrait, but not something we have not seen before. He is the typical bad ass who eventually steps beyond his bounds. Honestly, I don't even remember or care about the other two guys.

The woman, played by Rebecca Hall, does a solid job as Claire Keesey. We see her hardships, her torment and anguish (albeit a bit too much). The chemistry between her and Affleck is not really there, but hey, it's basically an action movie. Blake Lively seems out of place as MacRay's former lover. Jon Hamm plays a standard role as the hard driving cop who will stop at nothing. And Affleck's bosses are funny but not really memorable.

Affleck also directed The Town, and he seem to has a thing for the action camera. Most action sequences are fast paced and suspenseful (though EVERY bank heist reminds me of The Dark Knight, but that's just my geeky self). A problem I had with the heists was similar to what a friend pointed out: the robbers prepared hardcore for each heist, with huge guns and armor. My question is: why? Heists are supposed to be quiet, usually, and guns are used for crowd control and backup. EVERY heist in this movie went a little bit wrong. These crooks are either real amateurs or they suck at their jobs.

The plot was stretched a bit thin, and some of the motivations of the characters baffled me a bit. Some things were just unclear with the characters, and a lot of loose ends were not tied up. However, it's not really a big deal to me, as I enjoyed watching it and I took it for what it was: an action film with a little heart.

I saw this at a free screening: I'm not sure if I'd pay to see it. It's pretty standard fare; however, it's rather well-directed standard fare, if that makes any sense.

7/10

Went to a sneak preview of this movie last night. And I came out of the theater exhausted from the tension of caring about the people in this movie. Ben Affleck was one of the screenwriters, the director and the star and he did a great job in all three jobs. Jeremy Renner was so enthralling to watch -- he was a tightly wound fist of energy, frustration, anger and violence. Jon Hamm was the FBI good guy and did as good a job as any. Blake Lively surprised me with what I never would have guessed was true acting chops. And Ben deserves every accolade. This is not a movie for people who cringe at the F-bomb, or violence, or two really hot sex scenes. Definitely not for young people. But a thrill ride that will wear you out! Go see it!

I always get caught short on the idea of the glorification of someone whose life revolves around the deaths of others, whose "occupation" is to steal from those who have no say in anything. What I mean is, our hero is not there to dole out justice or to even a score, he's a two bit punk who happens to be smoother and more handsome than the others around him. In the process, he begins to become more human because of falling into a relationship. I know that this attitude would negate "The Godfather" or any of the wise-guy movies so popular over time. So I enjoy the development of the characters, even if I have not one scintilla of admiration for them. The ugliness of the Boston streets works well here as does the criminal element and the "honor among thieves" thing. What works well is Affleck's brush with true humanity. One last issue. I'm getting a little tired of the incredible amount of fire-power that these guys have and how little carnage there really is. Also, there seems to be a lot of carelessness in police work if we are to believe this stuff.

Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial effort is a solid one. He makes good use of his name in showbiz to put together a great cast and weave an entertaining story with no shortage of the elements of what a good heist film should be. The Town centers around a group of friends who rob banks and cause mayhem in the town of Charlestown. When the gang's leader, Doug MacCray (Affleck), gets too involved with a witness to one of their robberies (Hall) things get heated within the group as well as outside it, as the FBI begins to crack down on these robberies. The Town, while never skimping on the high quality, fast paced, action, ends up being a strongly character driven story, making it a good heist film to watch, while also delivering a substantial amount of intelligence that many films of this genre lack.

I think it's safe to say that Affleck has proved himself much more worthy of the director chair rather than an acting role. Obviously Affleck stars in this film and is as mediocre as you'd expect (no offense to the guy, I respect his other talents) but he by no means drags the film down. Plus the rest of the cast makes up for anything his acting can't bring to the table. Jeremy Renner, in particular, plays his role as Affleck's short tempered best friend incredibly well. The relationship between these two is the focus of the film, and what they do branches out to the other characters, most of which play an important role. The handsomely brilliant Jon Hamm plays the hard boiled FBI agent in charge of bringing down these criminals by whatever means necessary. He fits the key role of the morally skewed cop that serves to elevate the popularity of our anti-hero protagonists. Rebecca Hall plays the bank clerk who is taken hostage by Affleck and his crew at the beginning of the film, not knowing that she'd fall for the leader of this crew later. The relationship between Affleck and Hall was the only thing I didn't completely buy as far as character development goes, but this storyline served it's purpose, and played an important role in the cathartic ending of the film.

There is honestly nothing I can really criticize The Town for. Affleck's directing is effective, the dialouge is viscerally excellent, the film stands out in its effluent character development, and the acting is superb. The Town possesses all the elements of a good film that is well worth the watch. It's an effective blend of story and action, just what is needed in a good heist film. The Town is in no way groundbreaking and it doesn't revolutionize the genre, but it holds its own against the greats of the genre and fits right in with the criteria for a good story about cops and robbers. In this regard I can most highly commend this film for not trying to be more than it was. This movie never forgets what kind of movie it is, and it doesn't try to soar to new heights. It serves to exemplify what this genre is all about, and is an all around solid film.

For a film with such a dull and uninspiring title, 'The Town' is surprisingly bold and original. It effectively balances an interesting and engaging storyline with some great action sequences. Heist movies are always at risk of being generic and repetitive but this one ensures that never happens with an original, convincing plot and an interesting bunch of characters.

The crime genre has become increasingly stale and action-obsessed in recent years, so 'The Town' deserves credit for focussing on story and character development as much as action and violence. Great action films with credible plots are hard to come by these days, but 'The Town' is one of them.

4 armed robbers from the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston push their limits and actually rob a bank in stead of going for the money delivery guys. After the heist is successfully accomplished, the young attractive bank manager (Rebecca Hall) they just robbed, turns out to live just a block away from the house our 4 friends live in. One of the robbers (Affleck) decides to approach her to find out if she has anything on them. In stead of keeping things professional, he manages to fall in love with her and starts to pursue a relationship.

'The Town' is Ben Affleck's second feature production as a director and did right by not including his brother Casey this time around. The film is pacey, reasonably well acted, maintains tension throughout and produces some very good action scenes. The only major downfall is the somewhat unbelievable love interest that develops between Affleck and Hall. Pete Postlethwaite makes a short but memorable appearance in what turned out to be his last but one performance in a major production before his demise in January 2011.

73/100

An excellent robbery film set in Boston. Good acting and story, especially by Jeremy Renner. Always interesting to see the Irish side of crime instead of the usual mafia movies.

"The Town" is an excellent film that does have its flaws. It is, however, one of the best films made of 2010 (maybe the best film of th year). Ben Affleck really proves himself as a serious filmmaker with his follow up to "Gone Baby Gone," which was among the best films of 2007. The direction is amazing and Affleck really impresses me here, far more than the aforementioned "Gone Baby Gone," which was standard fare that is the exact opposite of "The Town." "Gone Baby Gone" relied more on story, dialogue and acting whereas "The Town" relies on great execution of a rather unoriginal script. If there is a major negative aspect of the film is it's complete unoriginality. It's a remake of "Heat." Plain and simple. Thats what it is.

The shootouts are phenomenal and they're the best since "Heat," which are, pretty much, the best ever. It's a great little crime movie that yes, we've seen done before, but the performances and the craftsmanship are impeccable. That's really what makes it quite good. Its an extremely entertaining film, and for people who gravitate towards the genre (such as myself), should really enjoy it (unless they have some hatred towards Ben Affleck).

Jeremy Renner, who plays a Joe Pesci spawned stereotype, is truly amazing. He takes a blandly written character and makes him a really intense, nearly unpredictable person. He steals scene after scene he's in. It's the one true standout performance of the film. Affleck, the actor, is much better than expected, but not completely convincing as the leader of the Charlestown heist team.

You can enjoy it for what it is: a well done crime film with heavy action and good acting, or you can pick it apart for being unoriginal, which it is. If you sit and think about all the flaws of the film you can convince yourself it's an average to terrible movie. When I sit and watch it, I'm drawn in and entertained from start to finish.

The robbery sequences are gripping thanks to top notch directing, editing and sound mixing. The suspense is amazing. The ensemble cast is terrific. It's the kind of movie so entertaining that it will constantly bring me back to it. It's a magnificent achievement that does everything it sets out to do. It's one of the best films I've seen all year.

"The Town" is a solid choice for a casual Sunday viewing. While the script and overall narrative might not always be the most gripping or innovative, the film still manages to keep you engaged. Its strength lies in its well-placed action sequences, which are exciting without being overdone. They pop up just enough to punctuate the story and pull you back in, making for an enjoyable and watchable experience, even if the plot doesn't always blow you away. It's a perfectly fine heist flick that delivers on its action beats. You'll likely find yourself entertained throughout, making it a good pick when you're looking for something reliable.

The Charlestown district of Boston is the location for an entertaining movie about a gang of violent, intimidating bank and security van robbers.

The film maintains the pace, suspense and realism almost to the end. It's only then that the amount of machine gun fire becomes as ridiculous and as over the top as the ludicrous shoot out in Heat. Less would have been more, and then this might have been a really excellent film.

The other negative is the Disneyland ending.

Otherwise the film has many good points. Good acting and real people used to sheep dip the film with the authenticity of place.

Although there is nothing special about this film, be it the story or the actors. I couldn't think of anything noteworthy to praise this film, unlike some of my favorite films. But it's solid for the story it manages to presents.

The film manages to stay in the realm of being realistic without being too dragged out, through the manipulation of characters and lies against each other, the film can produce the right amount of tension to keep viewers intrigued and staying for the mundane yet logical story.

The characters are also a highlight, although there is definitely nothing to write home about, the characters are all solid in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, showcasing the reasoning for needing each other. Most of the side characters are also not just one-off characters, so that's pretty nice.

This review is written on 17Feb, 2025.

Boston is a miserable town. I love that this movie exemplifies that. Crime, spiteful people with a chip on their shoulder, people who can't pronounce words correctly, there's not much good to say about Boston.

This movie was interesting and engaging to the end. Great performances, good writing and direction and production, well worth the 2-hour investment.

ABOUT MY REVIEWS:

I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.

My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.

Like another Ben Affleck directed thriller, Gone Baby Gone, this really nicely evokes the sense of place and community around the Boston area. This is no convenient backdrop - it's tangible and integral to the story. It doesn't quite have the other film's weight, but it certainly moves as much as it grips.

This is easily one of the greatest crime movies ever, the execution of the robberies are perfect, clean, clever and pure genius. The side story on the other hand, is generic and dull romance, bad written and very unrealistic, totally lame.

Ben Affleck's character tries to hard to be the "Heart of gold" Thief, is an extremely enjoyable movie besides the flaws.

I ended up watching the movie for some reason, and it's over. Even though the film does not contain intense action and robberies, the film progresses at a very exciting and good dose with three basic robberies. I do not fit the emotionality of such films very much, which has been kept in the foreground in this film, but it is gathering itself towards the end.

POSITIVES:

.Jon Hamm is great as always and should've been the lead in the film .Some good camerawork, no shaky cam or jump cuts

NEGATIVES:

.The bank robbers are meant to be the heroes but are all unlikable and I wanted them to get caught .The film opens with 4 screens of text and then narration; a big pet hate of mine .Some cringeworthy dialogue and obvious product placement e.g. multiple times instead of saying "hand me your phone" people say "hand me your blackberry"

Charlestown, Boston - a gang of bank robbers are preparing a heist. They break into the bank, rough up some of the employees, and gain access to the main vault. They escape, taking bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) with them. They eventually release her, telling her to walk until she feels the sea at her feet. It seems they have gotten away with it, but gang member Jem (Jeremy Renner) is restless and wants her taken care of after discovering she is from the same neighbourhood and may be able to identify one of them. Doug (Ben Affleck) takes responsibility, and he starts following Claire. They eventually start talking, and Doug finds himself falling for her. With FBI agent Frawley (John Hamm) closing in on the gang, Doug becomes disenchanted with the life of crime and longs to give it up, but will Jem, and more dangerously, will notorious big boss Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite), let him?

There's been a lot of interest in Boston of late. Most have focused on the element of crime and the way it seemingly flourishes there. The most popular are Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006) and Ben Affleck's debut film as director, Gone Baby Gone (2007). Affleck originated from Boston himself, and although he depicts it as a dangerous place to live and a place that bleeds criminals, he clearly has a love for the place. The Town benefits from this fact, as although its storyline is seeped in cliché, the film has a genuine authenticity to it that gives the film heart, and a real feeling of place.

Michael Mann's Heat (1995) is the main source where The Town takes its influence from. Without capturing the same neon beauty of Mann's crime masterpiece, The Town films its bank robbery set pieces with the same attention to detail, and exciting, breathless shoot-outs. It also has it's fair share of impressive performances - Renner, as the films token loose-canon, brims with subtle menace and eagerness to harm. He is very good, and fully deserves the attention he got from The Hurt Locker (2008), and the two Academy Award nominations that came from that and this. Jon Hamm looks like the film star he could become once he's done with Mad Men with a performance of fierce determination and arrogance, as his FBI man looks to catch these career criminals before they rob any more banks.

But with the good, comes the cliché. The central romance between Affleck and Hall is believable - they're two lost souls looking for someone to help them escape the existence that they currently hate - but you can't help thinking how gullible Hall is and how stupid Affleck is for getting involved with someone who could put him in jail for many years. Yet while the movie is ultimately formulaic, and contains character archetypes seen many times before, it remains frequently riveting. Complete with mumbling, Boston-accented dialogue, and real locations, the film's authenticity lifts the film out of the good and into the very good. Affleck may be a better director than actor, but he gives a strong performance here. If he does ever decide to go back into acting full time, let's hope he doesn't forget about directing, and hopefully he's sacked the agent that brought him the likes of Pearl Harbor (2001), Bounce (2000) and, of course, Gigli (2003).

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There's a lot to like about this movie. Not the least of which is simply the knowledge gained that Charlestown, Massachussetts - a suburb of Boston - is apparently a breeding round for bank robbers. That may not be a great selling point for Charlestown, Massachussetts - and it may not be an issue that's really addressed or explained in any way in this movie - but it's still an interesting piece of knowledge. One also has to appreciate the performances in this. Ben Affleck was very good as Doug MacRay - a local bank robber who's involved in a heist in which a young woman (Rebecca Hall) is taken hostage, and who then falls for her and begins to develop a relationship with her (she not knowing who she is.) It's an interesting premise and - while the relationship does develop - this never falls into the trap of being a formulaic romance. The story really is about MacRay, whose growing relationship with Claire makes him want to leave the life, much to the chagrin of many of his partners in crime. That was an interesting story, made even more interesting by the fact that Claire discovers from the FBI who MacRay is and then obviously has a choice to make. The choice itself was the proper one, and the movie I thought ended on the proper note as a result.

What I didn't like was the depiction of the last job the gang did. It went on far too long and became (I thought at least) unnecessarily violent; little more than a shootout eventually that went on far too long and detracted from some of the very real human interest that was involved in MacRay's personal story. Yes, it provided an opportunity for a truly hair-raising car chase, but I still thought it was overdone and a bit inconsistent with the rest of the story, which was quite good.

Good from start to finish.

Is it the same caliber as 'Heat'? No. But still enjoyable.

Was really impressed by Jeremy Renner.

A different role for him, and he knocks it out-of-the-park.

The whole 'falling in love with the witness' is probably dumb, as to realism. But it's not Hollywood if they don't squeeze a romantic interest into every film.

I'm sure the plot has holes in it somewhere, but none that stick out enough to make you start digging for more.

Ben Affleck is just Ben Affleck. Either you like him, or you don't.

They work in a 4 man team, and it would have added more to the film to give the other 2 guys some sort of attention.

The Town is a crime and action film based on a novel titled Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan. The story follows "A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold Claire, the assistant manager, hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with Claire." (IMDb). The film is directed by Ben Affleck and screenplay is by Ben Affleck, Petter Craig, and Aaron Stockard.

As always, Ben Affleck proves himself as a creative director and writer with a great vision towards any story, script, or film that he is a part of. In this film, u can clearly see some great sequences especially in terms of the action ones. This film is a heist film, and every single heist sequence was very very well made in terms of the action sequences or the camera movements and the choices of the camera angles. From low angle shots to establishing shots that uncover the chaos that the gang is causing around.

Ben Affleck as Dough, Jermey Ranner as James and John Hamm as the FBI detective are the only 3 actors that grabbed my attention in terms of playing their role perfectly. Sadly, Rebecca Hall's character Claire is a very interesting character but the actress did not add anything unique to make it interesting, same facial expressions added with a boring and dull acting. Ben Affleck's character has a very dark past that the film revisited by not even showing it, rather by talking about it. That's something that was very well done in which the acting, directing, and the script has helped so much in achieving that.

On the other hand, in my opinion the film can easily be 1h 45m rather than 2 hours and a half. In that case that rushed pace in 1h 45m that it would have, would make no time for boring and unnecessary sequences to happen. It would've been more fun and more interesting.

The custom design is very amazing, they really pulled off every outfit they had whenever they were doing a robbery.

My rating is: 7.5/10.

I got to know about this movie after watching a clip of the movie where a group of robbers do a crime wearing nun masks. I decided to watch the movie and it was a nice experience. The movie was a slow crime drama which is nicely directed by Ben Affleck. Every cast members did nice work and the story nicely shows the event in true light. There were no hi-fi things as there are in other crime action movies nowadays. The movie feels depressed by the end showing that the makers successfully did what they wanted to show.

Overall, it was a nice crime drama movie and you should definitely give it a try.

Despite the general consensus (in my circles at least), I didn't get the "Heat" ripoff I'd expected. What I did get however, was a solid heist movie absolutely steeped in regional dialect and hometown pride. This is a Boston movie through and through and, while I can't say I've ever visited, I feel like I can still hear these characters' accents in my ear.

The requisite car chases and shootouts are present and accounted for, but this story seems more concerned with family, criminal heritage and wanting to break the cycle, which was a nice twist for such a well-trod subgenre. All of this is elevated by excellent performances - across the board - and some fine direction from Ben Affleck.

One of Ben Affleck's directing successes is the thieving, boisterous group of friends provide a thrilling watch of crime and love - and how the two inadvertently intertwine.

A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold Claire, the assistant manager, hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with Claire.

Adapted from the novel, 'Prince of Thieves', Affleck's film earned Jeremy Renner a much deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film entices its audience with its quick pace and slick exchanges, the writing is subtle and even comedic as it allows the cast to bond on-screen. Affleck and Renner are joined by Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively who all contribute to making the film a love story interrupted by heisting habits. Touched on earlier - the script is infectious, it incorporates quirky conversations and contrasts them to loud, laughable scenes of mischief. It is a credit to Affleck for ensuring the film's two paths remain distance through the course of the watch, in order to keep its viewers guessing.

The film first premiered at Fenway Park, with the cast walking on a red carpet along the first baseline. Affleck went to such extremes in crafting the ideal picture; it was his brother Casey who suggested Renner to play James Coughlin and Blake Lively was asked to spend time with the Charlestown locals, so she spent a large amount of time mingling on the streets and in pubs and clubs. Grossing over $50 million its original budget, 'The Town' is a captivating, interchanging rollercoaster of emotions which knows when to speed up and slow down.

Masterful work by Affleck, but Jeremy Renner steals the show!