Academy Award-winner Ben Affleck has crafted an illustrious repertoire over his decades-spanning Hollywood profession, with the actor and filmmaker starring in a slew of hits together with Good Will Searching, Argo, Gone Lady, and Air. In 2007, Affleck made his directorial debut and enlisted the abilities of his brother Casey when he helmed Gone Child Gone, a profitable introduction to his distinctive method to storytelling, and one he adopted up with in 2010 with the crime thriller The City.
Primarily based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves, the gripping adaptation options Affleck as a Boston financial institution robber who strikes up a romantic relationship with one in every of his victims whereas planning a profitable heist to rob Fenway Park along with his longtime buddies. The City was a crucial and industrial success and has been singled out for its sensible depiction of robberies whereas changing into a must-see entry within the heist style. Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at the engrossing movie.
The City
- Launch Date
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September 17, 2010
- Runtime
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125 minutes
Affleck’s Exhilarating Crime Thriller
Set within the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts, the riveting 2010 crime thriller The City focuses on lifelong buddies Douglas “Doug” MacRay (Affleck) and James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) as they staff as much as rob a financial institution with their different crew members, whom they deal with like household. The tight-knit group briefly takes the financial institution supervisor, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Corridor), hostage earlier than releasing her after the job. Once they uncover Claire lives in Charlestown, the boys got down to guarantee she doesn’t see something that would incriminate them.
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When Doug begins a relationship with Claire (who’s unaware he was one of many robbers) to search out out what she is aware of in regards to the crime, he begins to develop real emotions for her and is pressured to maintain the romance a secret. After discovering that Claire is aware of one thing that would result in Jem’s arrest, Doug struggles to maintain his true identification a secret and is torn between his loyalties to his finest pal and his desires of beginning a crime-free life outdoors of Charlestown. Agreeing to do one closing rating, Doug and the gang got down to rob Fenway Park, resulting in a lethal flip of occasions.
‘The City’ Will get a Former Financial institution Robber’s Seal of Approval
When creating the taut theft scenes featured in The City, Affleck delivered a successful mix of realism, rigidity, suspense, and leisure, leaving audiences on the sting of their seats as Doug and his crew methodically executed the damaging heists. Affleck paid shut consideration to each intricate element in the course of the theft sequences, which helped the movie really feel genuine and genuinely nerve-wracking. That is largely why the thriller turned an awesome success, touchdown a stellar 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics.
In a video evaluation by Insider that includes former financial institution robber Cain Vincent Dyer, who breaks down financial institution heist scenes in tv and movie, Dyer rigorously dissected the theft scenes in The City and sang the thriller’s praises, calling it “completely on level.” Over the course of two and a half years, Dyer had dedicated over 100 financial institution robberies, and his distinctive perception into the felony world is fascinating for viewers to listen to. He counseled Affleck’s inclusion of the crew utilizing a police scanner in the course of the heists, saying it’s “completely one thing a gang of that caliber would have.”
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Dyer additionally defined that Doug and his crew switching automobiles after the theft was “very, very, quite common” and that almost all automobiles they used have been stolen. He identified that the gang’s resolution to hold out an armored truck theft was additionally a frequent prevalence, one which resulted in a high-risk, high-reward end result for the boys. In the end, Dyer felt The City was extraordinarily sensible in the way it masterfully executed the robberies and awarded the thriller a ten out of 10 score in his evaluation, additional cementing the movie’s revered standing.
The City proved to be each a crucial and industrial knockout, grossing $154 million in opposition to a $37 million finances and garnering quite a few accolades, together with an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Renner for Greatest Supporting Actor, in addition to being named one of many Prime 10 Movies of the yr by the Nationwide Board of Assessment and successful Greatest Appearing by an Ensemble Solid. The thriller’s pulse-pounding motion sequences, participating character dynamics, and a gripping storyline have helped it turn out to be thought to be one of many most interesting heist movies of the twenty first century.
How To Stream ‘The City’
Followers of the adrenaline-pumping heist style and the gifted actor-turned-director can stream The City on Peacock, and so they can both hire or purchase the esteemed crime thriller on a number of streaming platforms, together with Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango.