This Cult-Classic Ben Affleck and Jon Hamm Crime Thriller Just Hit Netflix and It Should Definitely Be Your Next Watch

Ben Affleck is having a little bit of a renaissance, or should we say “Benaissance,” when it comes to the streaming charts. Paycheck, directed by John Woo and starring Affleck as a man who wipes his memories of a world-changing secret, has been doing well on Netflix. Over at Prime Video, the Affleck-led The Accountant 2 is at the top of the streaming charts, followed closely by its predecessor. Another Affleck movie just hit Netflix: The Town, which he co-wrote and directed in addition to taking the lead role. The Town was only Affleck’s second film, but it packs enough adrenaline and a star-studded cast in addition to a gripping narrative.

The Town is based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, starring Affleck as bank robber Douglas “Doug” MacRay. Doug and his friends pull off a bank heist, but things escalate when bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) is taken hostage. Doug eventually starts a relationship with Claire, attempting to keep the fact that he was one of the robbers secret while seriously considering leaving his life of crime behind. Further complicating matters is FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm), who’s hellbent on catching Doug and his friends. What follows is an extremely tense game of cat and mouse, and Affleck keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout The Town‘s runtime.

Great Performances and Intense Action Make ‘The Town’ Worth Watching

The Town starts off with Dougie and his friends breaking into the bank where Claire works;from beginning to end,it’s a nail-biting scene. Part of it comes from how fast Doug’s crew breaks in, but most of it is due to the hostages’ fear. Claire at first tries to stall the gang, but when her fellow employee is threatened, she starts opening up the safe while fighting back tears. The other robbery scenes are just as intense, especially the final heist, which takes place near Fenway Park. Things start off without a hitch for the robber, but they soon find themselves face to face with the FBI’s S.W.A.T. team, who not only outnumber them in terms of personnel, but firepower to boot. Affleck has a great knack for building up and executing action sequences in his films, andThe Town might be his finest hour.Titus Welliver, who has a brief role in the film, hadnothing but praise for Affleck’s directorial skillswhen he appeared onThe Rich Eisen Show to discussThe Town. “Ben probably is, pound for pound, one of the greatest movies of all time,” Welliver said.

Welliver joins a talented cast that brings plenty of compelling character dynamics to the table. Hamm’s performance as Frawley gives off shades of obsession; when he meets Doug’s on-and-off again girlfriend Krista (Blake Lively), Frawley hints that he’ll separate her from her daughter if she doesn’t rat on Doug. Affleck himself brings plenty of layers to Doug, as he’s fiercely loyal to his friends but truly loves Claire. It doesn’t hurt that he and Hall have amazing chemistry, as well. But the standout performances belong to Jeremy Renner, who was nominated for an Oscar in his performance as Doug’s best friend James “Jem” Coughlin, and the late, great Pete Postlethwaite as Fergus “Fergie” Colm. Renner brings a tightly coiled, borderline psychopathic energy to Jem, making every scene he’s in unpredictable, while Postlethwaite gives off one of The Town‘s most chilling monologues when Fergie forces Doug to go through with a robbery. Their presence is a reminder of the dangerous world Doug lives in, not to mention it’s more tense than any shootout in the film.

‘The Town’ Kicked Off a Career Renaissance for Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck’s career was on the downslide in the early 2000s, but the back-to-back success of Gone Baby Gone and The Town would give his career a much-needed boost. Affleck continued to direct; his next venture behind the camera was Argo, which rode a wave of success all the way to winning three Academy Awards. Live By Night remains one of his most underrated films. He’s also continued to turn out amazing performances in dramas like The Way Back and The Tender Bar, proving that he’s still an immense talent, no matter if he’s behind the camera or not. The Town is one of those films that will appeal to everyone. The romantics will love the dynamic between Affleck and Hall, the action junkies will love the heist scenes, and fans of crime drams like Heat or Den of Thieves will have their next movie night figured out. It’s also held up 15 years later, backing up Titus Welliver’s claims that Affleck is a phenomenal director.

The Town is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

The Town

Release Date

September 17, 2010

Runtime

125 minutes

Producers

Basil Iwanyk, Graham King