The Town

In his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck returned to the working class milieu of his breakthrough role in Good Will Hunting (which he co-wrote with Matt Damon). With The Town, his second feature as director, the social background remains the same, while the town in question is Charleston, which we learn has produced more bank robbers than any other. Affleck plays Doug, a thief tied to his ignoble profession by the bonds of kin and by his “pitiable Irish omerta”, as the cop who is chasing him describes it.

Like the gruff drawl he employs throughout, there are times when Affleck's story tips over into macho affectation, but this is offset by a gritty sense of locale, a strong supporting cast, and three exciting heists, one of which ends what may be the first car chase in which the getaway vehicle is an MPV (ideal for taking the kids to school AND the gang to work). [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]