Ben Affleck is a better director than writer or actor and a better writer than an actor. By tying the usual heist story to authentic locations, personalities and socio-economic upheavals in Boston, Affleck infuses new life into a cliche & elevates it to a new level in The Town. Completely unrealistic & I don’t approve of the glorification of the made man, but a good movie is a good movie. Absolutely agreed. Too much of a departure from characters’ MO. Wanted a scene in Fenway park where the suspicious characters are white guys dressed in cop uniforms surrounded by Black hard working minimum wagers working concessions. I have to add that I am fascinated by the film phenomenon of directors from relatively simple, crime-free middle class backgrounds inserting themselves into a narrative of an insular, well-connected, dangerous & trashy neighborhood family that is more effective & smarter than the world they are naturally allied with. I wouldn’t put Scorsese in this category because he actually grew up next door to these types, but Affleck is from CA & grew up in Cambridge. It is not only a weird wish fulfillment, but if I was actually someone with that background, I’m not sure that I would appreciate this sort of posing & would take it as an outsider looking down on me. “Who do you think you are?” When Victor Garber only gets a few minutes of screen time & is pistol whipped, it is a sign of the apocalypse.