Ben Afflecks 124-Minute Near-Perfect Action Thriller Is Officially Being Cut from Streaming

As Ben Affleck‘s new thriller Animals continues to find success on Netflix, one of his best movies is officially being cut from streaming next month. Like the Netflix hit, this one saw Affleck pull double duty as both director and star to deliver a pulse-pounding action thriller that has been compared to the Michael Mann classic, Heat.

Ben Affleck Proves His Worth With a Stunning Thriller

Released in 2010, Affleck’s near-perfect thriller combines high-stakes bank robberies, explosive action, and a complicated romance as it explores themes of family, friendship, and loyalty. The results were spectacular, to say the least, as the movie grossed $154 million at the box office, which was more than four times its $37 million budget.

Also starring Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, and Rebecca Hall, The Town stars Affleck as Doug MacRay, a career bank robber who leads a crew of thieves alongside his closest friend, James “Jem” Coughlin (Renner), whose loyalty to his friends is matched only by his capacity for violence.

During their latest heist, the crew briefly takes bank manager Claire Keesey (Hall) hostage, and although they eventually release her unharmed, Doug becomes concerned about what she might have witnessed. As such, he secretly approaches Claire to find out how much she knows, only to develop genuine romantic feelings for her, much to the chagrin of his buddies.

From there, The Town descends into an intense and realistic action crime thriller that proves Affleck belongs just as much behind the camera as he does in front of it. However, as good as he is in the movie, it’s really Renner that steals the show as the funny and frightening best friend. His performance as Jem was so good that it earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

‘The Town’ Is Officially Being Wiped From Streaming

Scoring a Certified Fresh rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (eight points higher than Heat), The Town really is one of Affleck’s crowning achievements as both director and star. “If you mixed Michael Mann’s Heat with Good Will Hunting, you’d get this flick,” wrote Dan Buffa from KSDK News in St. Louis. He’s not wrong, as The Town easily combines the best of the two to become not only an excellent thriller, but a movie that showcases life on the streets of Boston exceptionally well.

Sadly, while The Town is available to stream on HBO Max in the United States right now, all that will change in just a few short days. The film is slated to be removed from their streaming library on Nov. 1, meaning the last day to watch it will be Saturday, Oct. 31.

There’s been no word yet on which platform it may end up on next, so once it’s gone, the only way to stream it will be through a digital rental or purchase (provided you don’t already own a copy, that is), so it’s best to watch it now while you still can.

Release Date

September 17, 2010

Runtime

125 minutes