Experts Say Ben Affleck Action Heist Film Is The Perfect Bank Robbery Movie
Ben Affleck’s The Town seems to be an accurate bank heist picture. That’s the assessment given by former bank robber Cain Vincent Dyer. In his words, it is “absolutely on point.”
In a video posted by Insider, Dyer lays out the accuracy of Affleck’s film. His background is comprised of being involved in over 100 bank robberies. So, if anybody could tell you how bank robberies really go down, it’d be him.
Bank robbery expert Cain Vincent Dyer says Ben Affleck’s The Town depicts about as accurate a bank heist as you could ask for.
The Town was a crime drama directed by Ben Affleck in 2010 as an adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s book, Prince of Thieves. Affleck appeared in the film as Doug, one of many robbers involved in a heist at Boston’s Fenway Park. The strong cast included the talents of Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, and Chris Cooper.
Ben Affleck’s film was a success upon its release. It received rave reviews from critics, ranking high on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also a hit with audiences, making $154 million on a budget of only $37 million.
In the video, Dyer covers nine heist movies, but The Town is unique. His surprise at the accuracy can be felt when commenting on the armored car heist. Dyer brings up the commonality of the crime and the dangers stressed.
When escaping, the robbers set one of their cars on fire before switching to another. Dyer describes this move as “very, very, very common.”
As the film’s armored car heist continues, the robbers use a police scanner (at 1:17 in the video). Dyer relates to this aspect by mentioning how often he used this device. He says that they’re ideal for knowing when the cops are coming and how long they’ll take to arrive.
The other commendable aspect was switching cars during the heist (at 1:40 in the video). When escaping, the robbers set one of their cars on fire before switching to another. Dyer describes this move as “very, very, very common.”
He did have a note about the cars being stolen, though. Dyer brought up how it’s far easier to steal the license plate of an identical car.
Even with that note, Dyer gave Ben Affleck’s The Town an enthusiastic 10/10 for accuracy. That’s a high mark, considering the ratings he gave for the other heist films. The only film to receive a similar rating was 1991’s Point Break.
Ben Affleck In The Director’s Chair
Ben Affleck’s The Town was a strong effort by the actor-turned-director. It wasn’t his directorial debut, though; his first feature was 2007’s Gone Baby Gone. That was another crime film based on a novel, which had a minor success at the box office and overwhelming praise from critics.
Affleck has continued to direct since his 2010 heist film, many of which he starred in. His most notable film was 2012’s Argo, a historical thriller about the CIA creating a fake movie to save Iranian hostages. The film would win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
While Affleck continued acting in various films, including playing Batman (Batman v. Superman), he would dip in and out of directing. He would have less success with the 2017 historical crime drama Live By Night. He’d return to direct the 2023 business drama Air, based on Nike’s rise to success story, in which he also stars.
Not all of Affleck’s projects have panned out, as with what happened regarding his role as Batman. But The Town remains one of the most revered and intricate films he’s crafted. Cain Vincent Dyer can attest to that devotion to detail.
