The Town (2010)

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

Director:

Ben Affleck

Writers:

Peter Craig (screenplay), Ben Affleck (screenplay),

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Affleck	...	Doug MacRay
Rebecca Hall	...	Claire Keesey
Jon Hamm	...	FBI S.A. Adam Frawley
Jeremy Renner	...	James Coughlin
Blake Lively	...	Krista Coughlin
Slaine	...	Albert 'Gloansy' Magloan
Owen Burke	...	Desmond Elden
Titus Welliver	...	Dino Ciampa
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Fergus 'Fergie' Colm
Chris Cooper	...	Stephen MacRay
Dennis McLaughlin	...	Rusty
Corena Chase	...	Agent Quinlan
Brian Scannell	...	Henry
Kerri Dunbar	...	Henry's Girl
Tony V.	...	Vericom Crew Chief (as Tony V)

Storyline

The Charlestown neighborhood of Boston is renowned for churning out a high number of armed robbers, generation after generation. These robbers never leave their Charlestown life on their own volition, the neighborhood where there is an unwritten code to protect that lifestyle. Such robbers include friends Doug MacRay, James Coughlin, Albert 'Gloansy' Magloan and Desmond Elden. Doug and James in particular treat each other like family, as the Coughlins have realistically been as such to Doug since Doug's mother ran off and Doug's father, Stephen MacRay, was sent to prison. James' single mother sister, the drugged out Krista Coughlin, and Doug have a casual sexual relationship. The foursome carry out a mostly successful bank robbery, but due to circumstances take the bank manager, Claire Keesey, hostage for a short period before releasing her physically unharmed. They find out that Claire lives in Charlestown, so they want to ensure that she did not see anything that could incriminate ...

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Plot Keywords:

heist | bank manager | bank robbery | prison | driver's license | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to the bank robbery capital of America.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [fr] Warner Bros. [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prince of Thieves

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,005,039 (UK) (24 September 2010)

Gross:

$92,173,235 (USA) (31 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, GK Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min 150 min (DVD extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original cut that Ben Affleck screened for producers was 4 hours long. After realizing that the film would never appeal to wide audiences, he cut the film down to 2 hours and 50 minutes in three days. After screening that version, the studio and producers loved it but knew that it was still too long. Affleck and producer Basil Iwanyk eventually had to cut beloved footage and personal favorite scenes to make the film work. The film then went through more change at a studio standpoint when they wanted the film at no more than 2hours and 10 minutes. Eventually, Affleck cut the film down to 2 hours and 8 minutes, ultimately trimming action sequences, character development and dialog. Affleck, while happy with the theatrical cut, stated that an Extended Cut will be featured on the DVD and BluRay with deleted scenes on top of that. He also stated that, while the theatrical cut of The Town is a close adaptation of 'Prince of Thieves' (the novel which it is based on), the extended cut is a mirror of the novel, staying more true to the book.

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Goofs

In the Extended Edition Blu-Ray version, Frawley (Jon Hamm) calls the bank and is told Claire (Rebecca Hall) quit her job "Friday." In the very next scene, Claire tells Doug (Ben Affleck) "I quit my job today."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Doug MacRay: [narrating] Driver's name is Arthur Shea. Former Metro Police officer, fifty-seven years old. Soon as his partner leaves with the coal bag, Artie cracks a Herald, and he don't look up 'til the guy gets back. Marty Maguire. Cummins Armored courier. Five-ten, two-twenty, fifty-two years old. Picks up every Wednesday and Friday at exactly 8:12, makes a hundred and ten dollars a day, carries a Sig nine. And he's about to get robbed.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Nothing contained herein constitutes any endorsement by the Massachusetts Department of Correction.

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Connections

Referenced in Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Get Paid"
Written by Jorge Corante and Rhaphael Tarpley
Performed by Rhaphael Tarpley
Courtesy of Urban Authentic

User Reviews

Well done!!

I had a trip to 'the town' last night and well, it is surprisingly entertaining. I still can't believe Ben Affleck can pull off everything (story, screenplay, direction, starring in a lead role) with such an ease. Three years after his debut directional venture 'Gone Baby Gone', Ben comes up with an ever better one this time.

A perfect combo of sold story, captivating screenplay, amazing writing, brilliant character development, good emotional content and brilliant cinematography (watch out for the shaky camera, this is the best camera work I've seen after 'Bourne' series) all together delivers an entertaining action thriller...worth a watch.