Bank robber has a change of heart
Starring and co-written and directed by Ben Affleck, The Town revolves around a bank robber who has to choose between love and friendship as he contemplates life away from crime.
Doug MacRay (Affleck) lives in Charlestown, which has produced more bank robbers than any other place in the United States. Doug is the leader of a successful gang of bank robbers. His father was also a bank robber and is in prison.
Jem (Jeremy Renner) is Doug's best friend and one of his three partners in crime. In their last robbery, Jem takes bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage. Claire is released, but the gang fears she may reveal their identity to the police. To find out how much she knows, Doug follows Claire and the two become close.
As Doug's romance with Claire blossoms, he enjoys life as a law-abiding citizen and plans to leave Charlestown. But he has one final 'assignment' that could make or break his relationship.
The film is based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, and it deals with many of the themes in the book.
'It was hypothesised in the book - and we included it in the film - that robbing banks became a trade that was passed down from fathers to sons,' says Academy Award-winner Affleck.
'It's interesting because, on the one hand, you have this outer shell of a heist movie, but, at its heart, the story is about a guy who's dealing with being stuck in a place he doesn't want to be and wants to change his life, which was much more compelling to me.'
Contains violence and mature subject matter
The Town opens tomorrow
