Overview
In a neighborhood where crime is a way of life, loyalty is tested and love blooms amidst chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- fatalistic
- kinetic
- crime movie night
- thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a tense, smartly written, well-cast Boston crime thriller with especially strong direction, action choreography, and Jeremy Renner's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Doug and his friends are shaped by Charlestown's generational robbery culture and by family histories of incarceration and abandonment.
Doug begins seeing Claire to determine what she knows after the robbery, while concealing that he was one of her kidnappers.
Charlestown's unwritten code, gang loyalty, FBI pressure, and brutal set pieces create a tense atmosphere of constrained choice.
The bank robbery, armored-car operation, and shootouts emphasize sharply orchestrated movement and realistic firearms danger.
Films like The Town, and why
The Departed
Boston crime drama, morally conflicted criminals, sharply staged heists, and fatalistic loyalty within an entrenched criminal community
Heat
Urban crime thriller centered on professional thieves, procedural pursuit, masculine loyalty, and kinetic firearms action
Gone Baby Gone
Boston-set crime drama exploring inherited criminal identity, damaged family bonds, and the possibility of escape
Inside Man
Tense bank-robbery thriller combining criminal camaraderie, romance, and a pressure-filled law-enforcement investigation
Movie Details
- Director
- Ben Affleck
- Release Date
- 2010-09-15
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (5851)
Cast
- Ben Affleck
- Jeremy Renner
- Rebecca Hall
- Jon Hamm
- Blake Lively
- George Carroll
- Pete Postlethwaite
- Owen Burke
- Titus Welliver
- Chris Cooper
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Town about?
- A Charlestown bank robber risks his gang, his freedom, and his chance at reinvention after falling for the hostage who could expose him.
- What is The Town like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Town as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Town violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Town as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Town?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a tense, smartly written, well-cast Boston crime thriller with especially strong direction, action choreography, and Jeremy Renner's performance.
- Which films are like The Town?
- Films with a similar feel include The Departed, Heat, Gone Baby Gone, and Inside Man.
- How long is The Town?
- The Town runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Town?
- In United States, The Town streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
