4.5 stars out of 5 -- "This taut story about a guy trying to get out of the criminal life into which he was born is loaded with action, but it's also so smartly written that a complex character study rests at its heart."
Box Office "Affleck excels at capturing the insularity of the locale..."
Hollywood Reporter 3 stars out of 5 -- "There is a juddering, brilliantly choreographed FRENCH CONNECTION-style car chase through crowded streets and narrow alleyways..."
Uncut 3 stars out of 4 -- "Affleck has the stuff of a real director....It's an effective thriller, he works closely with actors, he has a feel for pacing."
Chicago Sun-Times "[A] fast-paced, character-driven heist movie that combines robberies with romance and solidifies Affleck's reputation as an actor with a genuine gift for directing."
Los Angeles Times "[Affleck's] second feature, THE TOWN, is a looser and more sprawling affair, more conventional, but also more assured."
A.V. Club "There's a strong sense of milieu....The set-piece heists and car chases are executed with impressive skill and pacing..."
Sight and Sound 4 stars out of 5 -- "THE TOWN is full of great exchanges, great scenes, all of them infused with authenticity."
Total Film "[A] rich, dark, pulpy mess of entanglements that fulfills all the requirements of the genre, and it is told with an ease and gusto that make the pulp tasty." -- Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly "Affleck has a keen eye for cinematic stories and wisely chooses one set in a city he knows intimately. He has an evident knack for orchestrating involving action scenes."
USA Today "Ben Affleck works both sides of the camera to impressive effect in THE TOWN, a dramatic thriller that fulfills its considerable ambitions."
Wall Street Journal "The movie is as slick and tightly constructed as Affleck's debut, GONE BABY GONE....Affleck shoots each heist like the performance it is..."
Movieline 3 stars out of 4 -- "It's a smart, bold genre exercise that's enormous fun to watch, harking back to gritty urban thrillers of the 1970s with an assured sense of tone and style."
Washington Post 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[A] gripping human drama disguised as a blazing heist film that comes on like gangbusters."
Rolling Stone
