Ben Affleck made his feature directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone in 2007 and followed it up with another riveting crime thriller, The Town, in 2010. The actor-director plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a ruthless gang of bank robbers in the film. When he unexpectedly falls in love with James’ (Jeremy Renner) hostage, a bank employee named Claire, his life is quickly flipped upside down (Blake Lively).
“The Town” is a fascinating crime drama that hooks you from the beginning and doesn’t let you go until the finish. The film does not appear to be a typical heist film since it sacrifices the effectiveness of its heists in favor of focusing on its characters and the well-established Charlestown setting.
Given how well-developed the story’s characters are and how well the actors depict them, it’s tough not to wonder if it’s based on genuine events. Furthermore, the setting of the film in Charlestown begs the question of whether Is The Town is based on a genuine narrative or on real-life crimes.
The Town is set in Boston’s Charlestown, which “has produced more bank robbers and armored vehicle thieves than anywhere else on the planet,” according to the prologue. But how much of the narrative is true?
The plot of The Town
Douglas “Doug” MacRay, James “Jem” Coughlin, Albert “Gloansy” MacGloan, and Desmond “Dez” Elden, four longtime friends from Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, rob a bank. Despite Doug’s wishes, Jem kidnaps Claire Keesey, the bank manager, and holds her hostage. She then releases her without harming her.
When Doug learns that Claire resides in their neighborhood, he begins following her in order to establish how much information she has provided to the authorities and to ensure that Jem’s volatile temper does not discredit her as a witness. They rapidly fall in love, which Doug tries to keep secret from the rest of the gang.
Is The Town a True Story?
The movie “The Town” is not based on a true story. The story is based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves. Instead of relying solely on the novel’s content for the film, director and star Ben Affleck performed significant research to make the film appear more authentic.
Affleck interviewed many Charlestown residents, as well as Aaron Stockard, whom he invited to work on the screenplays with him. He even phoned the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force in Boston, who advised him that drug addicts do the majority of bank robberies.
In the first frame, the film establishes its place in Boston’s Charlestown. “One blue-collar Boston neighborhood [Charlestown] has spawned more bank robbers and armored car thieves than anywhere else on the earth,” according to the book’s preface. Many people would be curious if bank robbery in Charlestown became a family business.
Was the small town of Charlestown truly a haven for bank robbers? When the movie first came out in 2010, there was some backlash about how it portrayed the people of Charlestown. However, it is vital to note that the film is merely based on Charlestown’s history and does not indicate that the Boston neighborhood is currently riddled with violence.
Although we lack accurate data for Charlestown’s crime rate in the 1990s, records show that robberies in Massachusetts peaked in the 1980s and 1990s before plummeting drastically in the mid-aughts. Furthermore, despite the fact that the film’s premise is entirely fictitious, it contains references to a range of real-life crimes.
One of its bank robberies, for example, is based on a true-life robbery in Hudson, New Hampshire, which resulted in the deaths of two guards. So, while the film’s depiction of Charlestown appears to be accurate, its “authenticity” should be regarded with caution. The film’s goal is to create a cinematic vision of Boston without offending Charlestown.
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 8, 2010, and was distributed in theatres across the United States on September 17, 2010. Critics praised the picture, which was based on true events, for its director, writing, editing, and performance (especially by Renner), and it grossed $154 million worldwide.
How did the movie The Town End, and Who is the villain in The Town?
That’s all there is to it. Finally, the police surround the two men, resulting in a major gunfight in which Jem is killed by a gunshot. Doug narrowly avoids capture before contacting Claire to encourage her to spend their final moments together with him.
Fergus “Fergie” Colm is the opponent. Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite) is a major antagonist in the film The Town. He is a local gangster who pays Doug’s crew to commit a series of crimes. He is, without a doubt, one of the film’s least favorite characters. Fergie’s most famous incident displays his wicked mentality.
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