"There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. Most of these professionals live in a 1-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown." When I heard this I wondered “really, is that the truth”?! So I went on a wee search to confirm this and according to Wikipedia “Charlestown was once known as an area where bank robbers were concentrated, but not since the mid-1990s”. So perhaps it was over-dramatized for the film or possibly set earlier when there were more bank robberies.

Sometimes going into a movie with no expectations or no prior knowledge is a good thing. I probably would never have watched ‘The Town’ if I had watched the trailer as bank robbery movies are not my thing. If I had not watched this movie I would have missed a fantastic and exhilarating ride.

Up until the first dramatic car chase I found the movie very slow. However, this car chase shook this movie out of its slumber and it continued at a break-neck, dramatic pace until the final scenes. I cannot rave enough about the first car chase; it was absolute “frantic” and shot down small side streets. I had an epiphany watching the chase; I love car chases in movies I loved ‘Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift’ and ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’.

For me the movie was fairly predictable however it was the colourful and strong characters with their strong Boston accents made it an excellent watch. My friend said to me “think of Boston Rob’s accent from Survivor”. The one downside for me was Blake Lively who I have only seen in ‘Gossip Girl’; frankly I just found her irritating and could not identify with her character at all. However, I did find Rebecca Hall a breath of fresh air; she played the role of someone suffering after the shock of a robbery without playing into the ‘victim’ mentality.

Also, while Pete Postlewaithe’s character was “chilling” I felt that you did not really know/understand his role until closer to the end. Nevertheless, perhaps I was not paying attention.

Awesome film!

I am not a great fan of Ben Affleck but I have to say I thought he was very good in this movie. Its definately not a "chick flick" but I thought it definately is one that guys could take girls to and they would also enjoy it. It had a good mix of action, romance & some funny bits too. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought Blake Lively did a fabulous job considering what her role was in Gossip Girls. I double taked to double check that it was actually her. A definite go see.

Jam packed with action shots but with a twist of an unlikely love story. Great movie to watch but not exactly original.

What’s the story?
Set in Charlestown (Boston), the bank robbery capital of the USA, we follow criminal mastermind Doug (Ben Afleck) as he tires of his life as a no-good-criminal and falls for one of his hostages, Claire (Rebecca Hall, Vicky Christina Barcelona). Only problem is that his best mate and partner-in-crime James (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker) spent nine years in the slammer for a crime Doug committed and is holding it over his head… oh and FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm, Mad Men) is hot on his trail!

Was it any good?
It was good. It wasn’t brilliant… but it was good. The storyline was by no means original and it was the obvious - con likes good girl - good girl discovers con is con - could true love triumph over the fact that con had a gun to girl’s head earlier in the movie?- storyline (okay so that’s not exactly what happens but is close enough). Saying that, I was entertained from start to finish and the end wasn’t too clichéd.

What I really enjoyed…
This movie was saved from being a narcissistic and self-indulgent Affleck movie because of Rebecca Hall. Yes, Hamm, Renner and Affleck were good, but their characters came across as rather stereotypical; Hall just has a fresh quality about her acting that made the role feel newly ‘tortured’. The heist & chase scenes were also very enjoyable! A great mix of fast-paced action, intensity and suspense… showed that Affleck has some real skills as a director.

What I could have done without…
I really could have done without so much ‘self-directed’ drama by Affleck and knowing he directed it made some of the more dramatic scenes SCREAM “Best Actor Oscar bid!”.

My rating:
It was a solid movie and would personally give it 3.5 stars as the unoriginal storyline and coincidental nature of some of the plot devices really got to me; however, general audiences will enjoy this immensely and won’t be nearly as critical as I have been because at the end of the day it’s a good movie and the acting is pretty g

Enjoyed the movie, thank you View Auckland. For those who love lots of action - car chases & shooting - it's all there, a bit too much for me, Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner were tops and very credible in their roles,
as was Rebecca Hall, the ending certainly wasn't what I expected.
Was Charlestown really so wild, not from what I read? Interesting that Ben Affleck grew up in the town, he's probably offended a few old timers! Two hours held me but definitely one more for the 'boys'.

I was looking forward to this, and it didn't disappoint. Really enjoyed it! It didn't feel long, and it didn't lag - at times it was funny, full of action and exciting. Thanks View NZ :)

Good start, the middle and ending were very predictable.
For me it needed more bang.
Cheers View for the free tickets
Riwai Grace

I am a big fan of Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall so was excited to see it. All the actors carried their roles well with the exception of Blake Lively who was not very believable. It was entertaining and I did not feel like it lagged despite it clocking in at just over two hours. All over it was a pretty good bank heist movie, but didn't change my life. It is good escapist cinema with plenty of action to keep your blood pumping.

I thought this film had a very strong beginning and middle but the end was a bit blasé. Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner were very good in the film. Blake Lively attempted an accent but did not succeed, although did succeed in playing the promiscuous young and irresponsible mother.

Overall I thought the film had several effective action and suspense scenes. Use of automatic machine-guns prompted to audience to hold onto their seats, just waiting for death. Nonetheless there was not death unless it was essential to the storyline.

This was a very successful thriller but I think it could have gone out differently. The end didn't balance with the rest of the film.

Saw this last night with View Auckland. Great movie. The action genre isnt usually my thing, but this had plenty of action AND a fantastic story line. And Ben Affleck does a great job. Thanks again Sonia :o)

Saw The Town last night thanks to ViewNewZealand and was very impressed...I think Ben Affleck's acting has definitely come along way from some of the other tripe (anyone remember Pearl Harbour/Gigi).
A huge ammount of action (more bullets than a war flick) and some good character relationships. One or two holes in the story but still The Town is a movie worth catching - thanks again View New Zealand!

This movie was amazing! It kept our interest the whole entire time- never was I bored!! Good action and Heist scenes- very smart movie- and also a bit of comedy here and there. Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner were both A+ in this. I would watch it again....Both women and men would like this movie.

Great movie to go to with hubby. Girls had a great time though - lots of action and a good story line.

Just came back from the free preview screening from ViewAuckland.co.nz - great heist movie, well directed by Ben Affleck, supporting cast was spot on - definitely recommended!