The Town

In this smart and taut thriller from Ben Affleck, bank robbers are alarmed to discover that the manager they briefly took hostage (Rebecca Hall) lives in their blue-collar Boston neighbourhood and may be able to identify them, despite the masks they wore. Leader Doug (Affleck) seeks out the woman and romance blossoms, without her realising that the object of her affection was involved in the raid. This enrages Doug's second-in-command and best friend Jem (Jeremy Renner), and as Doug contemplates going straight and leaving town with his new love, the gang's employer (Pete Postlethwaite) demands they carry out one last daring job. In addition to directing with flair and confidence, Affleck plays the central conflicted character with admirable subtlety, and there's also fine work by Jon Hamm as an FBI agent and Chris Cooper as Doug's incarcerated father. But everyone is eclipsed by the intensity of Oscar-nominated Renner as short-fused Jem, driven by loyalty to both his friends and his working-class roots.