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 F.B.I. 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 & 45 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:

bank robbery | criminal gang | terrorism | heist | bank manager | 

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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. [France] Warner Bros. [Japan]

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 USA:

$23,808,032, 19 September 2010, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$92,186,262

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$154,026,136

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Legendary Entertainment, GK Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min 150 min (DVD extended cut) 153 min (BluRay)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sign over the sink in Coughlin's kitchen reads "Cead Mile Failte", an Irish Gaelic phrase which means "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes".

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Goofs

When Doug talks in the garden about his past and answering any question that can be asked, his hair style goes from bed head to perfectly groomed in back to back shots.

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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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Alternate Versions

There are three known versions to exist: the 125-minute theatrical cut; the 152-minute extended cut that follows closely to the novel and the 154-minute alternate cut that is the same as the extended version but uses the original novel's ending.

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Connections

Featured in Ben's Boston: The Real People of the Town (2010)

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Soundtracks

99 Bottles
Written by Slaine (as George Carroll) and Christopher McIntire
Performed by Slaine
Courtesy of Suburban Noize Records

User Reviews

"The Town" proves that Ben Affleck is not only a gifted actor, but also has a great eye for directing.

In "The Town," Ben Affleck plays Doug, the brains behind an Irish mob that robs banks and plans heists all around the Boston area. After their last huge bank job, Doug learns from his colleague, James (James Coughlin), that the female bank manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall) from the bank lives a few blocks away from where the mob meets. This is when Doug decides to investigate Claire and see what she knows about him and the other members of his crew. Along the way, Doug falls in love with Claire as the FBI is slowly investigating him and his fellow mob members to see where they are going to strike next. It's only a matter of time before the FBI comes after Doug and it's now up to Doug to decide whether it's the mob life or love....

I have to admit when I first saw the trailers for "The Town" I wasn't really that impressed with it. Sure it looked like a solid action movie about bank-robbers but the trailers just seemed to give away too much. When "The Town" was actually released in theaters I didn't have a chance to see it because it was released during a time where for some reason, which I am not sure of, I didn't see any films. I did however, read the reviews for the film and they were nothing but extreme positives. I tried to see the film in theaters but like most things nowadays it didn't last more than a few weeks at the local theaters. I decided to buy the flick on Blu Ray and finally sat down last night to watch it...

There is so much good to say about "The Town" but it's hard to pick where to start. The easiest place to start is with Ben Affleck so I am going to start there. As many may know already, Affleck directed, co-wrote, and starred in this film. Unlike most people, I never really disliked Affleck even though earlier in his career, he had a few stinkers ("Gigli," "Daredevil," and "Jersey Girl" all come to mind) but I figured he just hasn't found the right fit yet. In "The Town" Ben Affleck shows off just how solid of an actor he can be with the right material. He plays the tough Irish mob leader to perfection. I am talking everything from the accent to the mannerisms; Affleck just nails it.

Along with the acting, his eye as a director is also rather solid. This is Affleck's second directorial endeavor and its surprisingly better than his first, which is saying a lot. "Gone Baby Gone" was well reviewed by critics and audience members alike and many were shocked to learn that Affleck directed that flick. "The Town" is rated even higher by both categories of people. Affleck knows his way behind the scenes capturing raw emotion, realistic and gritty violence, and truly showing his audience he knows how to make his cast act out their roles to near perfection. Affleck's dark and corrupt vision of Boston reminded me of something Martin Scorsese would have created. If Affleck keeps this up, you never know but he might just become the next Scorsese.

Besides Affleck providing a solid performance, there are several other names that deserve some recognition here. Rebecca Hall is absolutely terrific as the bank manager and Doug's love interest. It's was interesting to see a smaller name in such a big role but it worked to the films advantage. She seemed perfect to play an out of town girl, who gets involved with someone has sleazy and shady as Doug. Jon Hamm did a perfect job as the lead FBI agent. I haven't seen him in many other projects but his mannerisms fit my ideal image of a FBI agent. Jeremy Renner, who played James was just nuts! He played this whacked out character perfectly. The guy seemed to not care about anything and anyone but did it in such a believable fashion. He truly was a demented and troubled soul in the film and really acted his heart out to show that. The one person I do have to say didn't really wow me was Blake Lively. I will admit it was nice seeing her play a really dark and gritty role, which is out of her normal character but she wasn't convincing to me. I just had a hard time believing her as a trashy person. As a whore, I can see but the white trash thing didn't work for me. I am sure many would disagree but trashy I couldn't picture.

All in all, I really don't have anything bad to say about "The Town." It was a solid film all around. The pacing was perfect, the acting was solid, and the direction was superb. This movie may soon be placed in the same category where such movies like "Goodfellas," "Casino," and "Reservoir Dogs" now sit. It will not shock me if this film holds up over the years and becomes known as a cult classic. The film may be too violent or gritty for some but for those who like raw and gritty dramas will probably be adding "The Town" to their favorites list.

MovieManMenzel's final rating for "The Town" is a solid 8 out of 10. A ton of kudos points are in order for Affleck and the entire cast of this film.