Ben Affleck is known for directing and acting in several critically acclaimed crime thrillers over the last two decades, including Gone Baby Gone, The Accountant, and his latest project, the Netflix film The Rip. This new thriller, inspired by real events, features Affleck alongside Matt Damon as Miami police officers who discover over $20 million hidden in Home Depot buckets.
Ben Affleck is proving his talent for crime thrillers once again with his latest film, The Rip, which has been well-received by both critics and audiences (currently holding an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). However, many consider his 2010 film, The Town, to be his best work in the genre. Affleck directed and starred in this highly-rated Boston heist thriller, and it’s often cited as one of the best crime movies of the 2010s.
The Town Is a Realistic and Gritty Crime Thriller Directed by Ben Affleck
The movie is based on Chuck Hogan’s popular novel, Prince of Thieves. It follows Doug (played by Affleck), Jem (Jeremy Renner), Gloansy (Slaine), and Dez (Owen Burke) after they pull off a bank robbery in Boston. Despite objections from the others, Jem takes the bank manager, Claire Keensey (Rebecca Hall), hostage, but ultimately releases her without harm.
Okay, so things get really complicated after the heist. We find out Claire lives close by, and Doug, being Doug, starts secretly following her, worried she’ll talk to the police. But then, surprisingly, he starts falling for her! He ends up meeting her at the laundromat – pretending to be someone else, of course – and they actually start dating. He keeps it totally hidden from the rest of us, and eventually, he convinces her to keep quiet about what she saw during the robbery. It’s a messy situation, honestly!
The investigation unexpectedly links the group to a local mobster named Fergus (Pete Postlethwaite), and Claire learns the truth. Doug must now protect her from Fergus and find a way to escape, all while attempting one final robbery that could either save him or lead to his downfall.
The realistic heist scenes in The Town were widely praised, and director Ben Affleck crafted a crime thriller that offered a fresh take on the genre. David Harris, a former Green Beret, specifically commended the film’s final heist for its accuracy.
The movie’s climax falls apart when Doug and his crew find themselves cornered by the FBI. In a review for Insider, Harris analyzed this scene, pointing out the use of flashbang grenades to confuse the robbers. One crew member is killed by the grenades, and Harris rated the realism of this event an 8 out of 10.
Based on his own background, Harris clarified that, like in the film, flashbang grenades are employed to force suspects into movement. He described them as tools to disrupt and quickly get people moving.
He described the event, saying the object went under the vehicle, partially blocking the light. However, the explosion itself was very strong. He believed it was designed to be disorienting, especially since no one was wearing hearing protection, and he gave it an 8 out of 10 in terms of intensity.
The film drew on extensive research, including visits to local prisons, conversations with residents, and consultations with Boston’s Violent Crimes Task Force. Although inspired by a novel, the movie stands out for its accurate and realistic portrayal of crime and the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston where it takes place.
Doug and Claire’s Relationship in The Town Stands Apart from Others in the Crime Genre
The Town is a thrilling movie with plenty of action and explosions. However, what really stands out, according to many reviews and looks back at the film, are its engaging and relatable characters.
Many action movies prioritize either exciting sequences or well-developed characters, but few successfully blend both. Heat stands out because it gives equal attention to the personal and work lives of its main characters, McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Hanna (Al Pacino). In contrast, films like Hard Kill emphasize action above all else, which often leads to a thin plot and poor reviews – it currently has a 3.1/10 rating on IMDb.
Similar to other films of its kind, The Town balances thrilling action with compelling character development and emotional depth. The connection between Doug and Claire feels genuine, strengthened by the fact that they both carry emotional scars. What starts as Doug simply observing Claire for his crew evolves into a deep bond, as he opens up about his own past and genuinely tries to help her heal from a recent robbery.
Romantic relationships are a frequent trope in this type of movie, but usually the partner isn’t involved in the criminal world. For example, in Heat, the main character connects with a woman (Amy Brenneman) he meets at a diner, and she’s completely separate from his dangerous life.
I really appreciate how The Town handles the relationship between Doug and Claire. It could have been so simple to have Doug just feel sorry for Claire, given what she went through, but it’s much more nuanced than that. Claire isn’t just a victim; she’s directly involved in and affected by the criminal world around them, and she’s clearly haunted by it. Doug genuinely connects with her because of who she is and what she’s experienced, and that makes their connection feel so much more real and earned. It’s a complicated situation, but it works beautifully.
Doug, after Claire, is the most relatable character in the movie. He’s a working-class criminal who dreams of escaping his life in Boston, which makes him surprisingly sympathetic.
He helps Claire heal from her trauma not just to keep himself and his friends safe, but because he wants to make amends for his past. He sees Claire as someone he aspires to be, and through their growing connection and mutual vulnerability, he finds a path to personal growth while also shielding her from harm.
The Town Restored Ben Affleck’s Career
Let’s be honest, after his early successes, Ben Affleck went through a bit of a rough patch in the early 2000s. While he was certainly in some big movies – things like Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, and Armageddon – those films weren’t exactly beloved by critics. They just didn’t quite land, you know?
By 2007, Ben Affleck wasn’t known as a strong actor. While his first time directing a film helped improve his image, it was with The Town that his career really started to turn around and head in a good direction.
Although The Town didn’t immediately become a huge box office hit, it was still successful, particularly considering it was released alongside major blockbuster films. It actually earned the most money in theaters for September 2010, until Jackass 3D and Tron: Legacy came out and surpassed it.
Despite being made with a relatively small budget of $37 million, The Town earned over $92 million in the US and Canada, and more than $154 million globally. Considering Avatar was still a huge hit in 2010, along with other popular movies like Iron Man 2, finishing in the top 30 highest-grossing films that year was a significant accomplishment.
As a film buff, I was really excited to see this one get such a great reception! It scored a fantastic 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid 7/10 on IMDb, which is always a good sign. What really struck me, reading the reviews, was how much everyone praised Ben Affleck – not just for his acting as Doug, but for his directing too. It seems like the core of what made the film work was its really well-developed characters, and that was a common theme in almost every review I came across.
I was so excited when Ben Affleck followed up The Town with this movie! It was a much bigger project, and honestly, it’s incredible. It’s based on a true story – the memoir of Tony Mendez, a CIA operative. The film tells how he and other agents came up with this crazy plan to pose as a film crew to rescue six Americans trapped during the hostage crisis in Tehran back in 1979. It was a huge hit with the Academy too, getting nominated for seven Oscars and actually winning three, including Best Picture! It’s still one of my favorites.
Ben Affleck gained recognition for his work in films like The Town and Argo, which led to significant roles, including playing Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in The Tender Bar. Recent hits like The Accountant 2 and The Rip have solidified his position as one of Hollywood’s top leading actors.
Even now, The Town remains one of Ben Affleck’s best-reviewed films, surpassed only by Air, which has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Air demonstrated his acting range, proving he’s capable of more than just comedic or exaggerated roles, and helped elevate his career. It’s a film any fan of his recent work should definitely see.
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2026-01-21 20:14