The Town

The inspiration from Heat is quite evident, but I wouldn't say this film copies it blindly and attempts to sponge off it, but rather that Ben Affleck is a fan of Mann and his famous film, so he wanted to pay tribute to his role model with his film The Town. Unlike Heat, which was based on the confrontation of two tough men, masters in their field, Affleck focuses more on the romantic relationship between the criminal and his female victim, which gradually turns into love. It can even be said that The Town sometimes inappropriately romanticizes the underworld and relationships between criminals based on friendship and solidarity. Reality is much more down-to-earth, yet in terms of the story, action, and acting performances, I am satisfied and have no problem giving it 4 stars. It's not a film that revolutionizes its genre, but true professionalism emanates from it, and for a genre fan, it's a safe bet. Overall impression: 80%. (06/03/2011)

A decent spectacle, but a few odd illogicalities (the hero never found out himself what happened to his mother), clichés and an overly fairytale ending hurt it somewhat in my eyes. I liked Gone Baby Gone a lot more, and above all it was a film I had to think about for a long time. The Town has nowhere near that impact. But Ben Affleck is a really good director, and especially when it comes to action he does a professional job. (08/02/2016)

Ben’s Town is precision work like the robberies that take place in it. Not that the story is some staggering gem, but everything simply falls in its place and it flows by nicely. The action is first rate, Ben has studied the work of Mann and Greengrass and it must be said that he’s done a damn good job. He should concentrate on the action genre from now on. The casting is superb. I’m a Jon Hamm fan and I think it’s great that at last he got a little more room than usual and rocked, and his partner was the man in black from Lost, which is a nice surprise. Jerry Renner is slowly but surely working his way up to the top (the new M:I will certainly get him there) and then there’s Ben... Ben is a good actor, but he needs a firm director’s hand and he clearly has one. Keep up the good work. Maybe they could cook up something with Matt Damon again. Maybe something with action. Maybe something like Bourne. :) Any questions? No? Great. Let’s go. (05/12/2010)

Ben Affleck scored again for me, this time twice over. I can't even decide if he was better as an actor or director. The screenplay is admittedly corny a few times and not brimming with originality, but I still enjoyed it. I gobbled this film up from beginning to end. The action was spread out evenly and because of that there was no time for boredom. The dramatic scenes were not needlessly thrown in and the dialogue was believable enough. Additionally, I was pleased with Blake Lively's minor role and the impressive music throughout. A very strong 4 stars. (10/09/2011)

We’ve seen this scheme many times before, and sometimes better (at one point even the main character watches "the" bit on TV), but I like Affleck's sympathetic direction, which doesn't rush the archetypal characters through the plot, but without unnecessary subterfuge, matter-of-factly, and engagingly. The fact that at times it is too tightly gripped in the clenches of tired templates is unfortunate, especially in the moments when the more adept viewer can guess the next steps of the characters before they do. Regardless, that certain old-fashioned style only serves it well. I’m looking forward to Affleck's next film immensely. (09/12/2010)