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The Town

The Town

Welcome to the bank robbery capital of America.

2010125 minRMidcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Director
Ben Affleck
Starring
Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm

A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold the manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Town?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Town streaming on Cinemax via Prime Video and HBO Max and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Town?

The Town earns 10 badges, led by Universally Loved and Top 5% in Crime.

Show 2 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is The Town worth watching?

The Town's Midcredits score is the 94th percentile of all films, from 873K ratings across 6 sources. 85% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

94th percentile

Better received than 94% of films

95th percentile among Crime95th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)90th
Approval (how many liked it)95th

74 /100

90th percentile of all films

93rd percentile among Crime90th percentile among 2010s

Critics 74 · Audience 75

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A tight consensus around 7.6 — people broadly agree on this one.

85% liked it

95th percentile of all films

95th percentile among Crime95th percentile among 2010s
85% rated it 7–1015% rated it 1–6

Critics 92% · Audience 85%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 1 Oscar noms · 7 wins / 46 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

85th percentile

873K ratings across platforms

82nd percentile among Crime86th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 4% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$37M
Opening weekend$24M
Domestic gross$92M
Worldwide gross$154M

Returned 4.2× its budget — 97th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A competently made heist thriller with strong performances, especially from Jeremy Renner, though its plot is familiar and derivative.

Fans praised

  • Jeremy Renner's volatile, live-wire performance as Jem
  • Authentic Boston atmosphere and Charlestown setting
  • Skillful direction and confident pacing of action sequences

Detractors panned

  • Unoriginal, derivative script heavily borrowing from Heat
  • Unconvincing central romance between Doug and Claire
  • Predictable plot and formulaic genre conventions

What stands out

ActingDivisive82

Jeremy Renner's standout intensity; Affleck grounded; Blake Lively divisive

Atmosphere80

Gripping, gritty Charlestown immersion; bleak, tense mood

Effects and spectacle78

Intense, realistic heists and car chases; practical effects praised

Tension78

Effective cat-and-mouse; lunch scene and heists singled out

CharactersDivisive72

Well-drawn but familiar archetypes; Doug's conflicted leader, Jem's volatile loose cannon

Pacing70

Taut action sequences; slower romantic subplot drags for some

Plot and storyDivisive62

Formulaic heist/romance structure; predictable twists

OriginalityDivisive35

Openly derivative of Heat and Point Break; familiar genre beats

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 16 points higher than women.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 4 points apart
  • Critics vs users 5 points apart
  • US vs non-US 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Town like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseRomanticMelancholicThrilling
Heaviest: late
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its gritty crime drama straight, with emotional weight on the romance and tension, but maintains a steady seriousness without irony.
The rideThe film holds a steady tension throughout, but the emotional weight peaks in the final act where the heist goes wrong and Doug loses Claire.
StructureThe story unfolds in linear chronological order.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

BittersweetHopeful
Why it leaves you this wayThe ending balances loss and escape, leaving a mixed feeling of sadness and hope.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rebirth
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% (this title) · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Liberation: Breaking free of a confining life (Room).

13% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe film follows a career bank robber whose desire to escape his criminal life is tested by loyalty to his crew and an FBI manhunt, centering on a heist plot.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4% (this title)
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% (this title) · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of filmsRedemption · 6% of films: Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Loyalty · 4% of films
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on Doug's struggle to escape the criminal identity inherited from his father and neighborhood, while love and loyalty pull him in opposing directions.
StanceThe film presents Doug's struggle to escape his environment without moralizing, observing the pull of crime and loyalty as a fact of life in Charlestown.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanDomesticInstitutionalRealistic
AmbientElectronicSupportive music · hybrid
SettingCharlestown, Boston—a tight-knit working-class neighborhood steeped in bank robbery
MusicThe score blends ambient textures with sparse electronic pulses, enhancing the gritty, urban atmosphere without overwhelming scenes.

Content guide

Is The Town okay for kids?

R

The Town is rated R: “Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use” (MPAA). As of August 19, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (82/100), sexual content at moderate (54/100), language at severe (89/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (62/100) and frightening material at intense (63/100). Overall it is heavier than 82% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 36 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland15A
  • JapanPG12
  • South Korea18
  • Brazil16
  • Argentina+16
  • Austria16
  • Belgium16
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • Greece16
  • Hong KongIIB
  • Hungary18
  • ID21+
  • IndiaA
  • ItalyT
  • LTN-13
  • MexicoB-15
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway15
  • PhilippinesR-13
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/12
  • RO15
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeM18
  • South Africa16
  • Spain12
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland14
  • Taiwan12+
  • TH18
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 89% of all filmsHeavier than 82% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 69%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 63%
Profanity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 90%
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 80%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 51%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Heavy almost across the board: language, violence, frightening material, and drug and alcohol content. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Town have?

MovieCove's classifier found 5 depicted content warnings in The Town: Gun violence (severe), Torture (severe), Addiction or relapse (moderate), Gore or body horror (moderate), Kidnapping or confinement (moderate). Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

SevereGun violenceTorture
ModerateAddiction or relapseGore or body horrorKidnapping or confinement

Cast and crew

Who is in The Town?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Ben Affleck
as Doug MacRay
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Jeremy Renner
as James Coughlin
Oscar nominee: Academy Award nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Rebecca Hall
as Claire Keesey
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Jon Hamm
as FBI S.A. Adam Frawley
Blake Lively
as Krista Coughlin
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
George Carroll
as Albert 'Gloansy' Magloan
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Pete Postlethwaite
as Fergus 'Fergie' Colm
BAFTA nominee: BAFTA Award nomination — Best Supporting Actor
Owen Burke
as Desmond Elden
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Titus Welliver
as Dino Ciampa
Chris Cooper
as Stephen MacRay
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Town?

Movies like The Town include Gone Baby Gone (2007), What Doesn't Kill You (2008) and The Equalizer 2 (2018). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films by Ben Affleck, and several are films set in Boston.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Town?

774 other films share the rarest tag below, up against: police officer. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.