The Town by Simon Howard

4/5 Stars
125 mins

Ben Affleck stars, writes and directs in this hard-hitting crime thriller, adapted from Chuck Hogan’s novel ‘Prince of Thieves’. The film was a No.1 smash in the States, and is based around the Boston neighbourhood of Charlestown, where we are told ‘over 300 bank robberies take place each year’.

As he plans his next job, Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) falls for a bank manager (Rebecca Hall) who he took hostage in a previous heist, as well as trying to keep one step ahead of the FBI agents aiming to bring him and his team down.

The film contains many powerhouse performances, including a surprising turn from Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively, who plays ‘Krista Coughlin’ a hooker with a 19-month old daughter. Pete Postlethwaite also appears as ruthless crime lord Fergie, who will not accept Doug’s refusals to carry out more robberies when he tries to move away from his life of crime.

The film moves at a great pace, and its gritty feel is a triumph. The Boston setting is used to great effect with several beautiful shots of the skyline. The lack of special effects gives a very realistic feel to the film, and the car chases and bank heists (of which there are several) are both exciting and superbly executed. All the characters are extremely credible, but some could have perhaps been expanded further. The twists and turns are not wholly unpredictable either, but still give the film a tense and edgy aspect.


Bottom Line- Ben Affleck proves himself as a director to be reckoned with in this riveting thriller. Intriguing characters populate ‘The Town’, but it lacks a knock-out dramatic punch and resolution which would have made it 5*.

See this if you liked:
The Departed (2006)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)


Simon Howard