The Town (2010)
- Ben Affleck originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Ben Affleck was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The original script for The Town was written over a decade before production finally began in 2010.
The Town is a 2010 American crime thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck, based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, a career bank robber from the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston โ the real-life "bank robbery capital of America" โ who falls for a bank manager named Claire, played by Rebecca Hall, whom his crew took hostage during their last job. As Doug plans one final heist to escape Charlestown and his criminal life, the FBI agent investigating his crew, played by Jon Hamm, closes in, and Doug's volatile best friend Jem, played by Jeremy Renner, refuses to let him walk away.
Ben Affleck's direction was precise and atmospheric, capturing Charlestown's working-class tribal loyalty with the same insider knowledge Scorsese brought to Little Italy. Jeremy Renner earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as the terrifyingly unpredictable Jem. The Fenway Park heist, conducted in nuns' habits and face paint, was the film's most audacious set piece.
The Town earned $154 million worldwide on a $37 million budget.
