The Town

Charlestown, a tight Boston neighborhood, has produced more bank robbers than any other patch of America. Ben Affleck's second directorial feature drills into that reality with a heist thriller that moves like a muscle car through narrow streets. Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, the crew's reluctant leader who starts questioning the life he was born into. The film arrived in September 2010 on a $37 million budget and pulled in $154 million worldwide, a number that confirmed Affleck's shift from actor to filmmaker was no fluke.

Based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves, the script was hammered out in just three weeks by Affleck and Aaron Stockard. They swapped the book's stealthy night robbery for a daylight assault that sets the tone immediately. The cast includes Jeremy Renner as the volatile Jem Coughlin, a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. Rebecca Hall plays Claire Keesey, the bank manager who becomes Doug's way out. Jon Hamm, fresh off Mad Men, plays the FBI agent tracking them. Pete Postlethwaite, in one of his final roles, plays the local mob boss Fergie Colm with quiet menace.

Affleck shot on location across Boston, from Charlestown's brick rowhouses to Fenway Park's concrete tunnels. He wanted the city to feel like a character, not a backdrop. The result is a crime film that smells like beer and sweat, where every alley feels like a trap. Critics praised its authenticity and tension, and the film holds a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It also marked a turning point for Affleck, who would go on to win Best Picture for Argo two years later. [edit]

Doug MacRay leads a crew of four lifelong friends from Charlestown. They rob banks wearing latex skeleton masks, moving fast and hitting hard. During their first heist, Jem Coughlin takes the bank manager Claire Keesey hostage. He releases her unharmed, but Doug knows she is a loose end. He follows her, learns she lives in Charlestown, and approaches her under a fake name. He does not plan to fall in love, but he does.

FBI agent Adam Frawley recognizes the crew's signature style from earlier jobs. He and his partner Dino Ciampa start closing in, leaning on informants and piecing together the network that protects the gang. The crew answers to Fergie Colm, a florist who runs the local Irish mob's money laundering. Fergie demands they take one more job: rob the armored car depot at Fenway Park. Doug sees this as his chance to escape, but Jem grows paranoid and violent, especially when he learns Doug is seeing Claire.

Doug visits his father Stephen in prison. Stephen has been locked up for decades and serves as a warning about where this life ends. The conversation pushes Doug harder toward getting out. Meanwhile, Krista Coughlin, Jem's sister and Doug's occasional lover, adds another complication. She knows Doug's secrets and resents Claire's presence.

The crew prepares for the Fenway job. Doug secretly plans to use the heist as his exit, but Jem suspects betrayal. Frawley closes in, and Doug must balance his loyalty to his friends, his love for Claire, and his desire for a normal life. The pressure builds toward the stadium, where the robbery will determine everything.[edit]