Ben Affleck: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Doug MacRay - The Town

Ben originally planned to star in Gone Baby Gone, but wound up casting younger brother Casey instead, making The Town his first time of directing himself. And, as we'd see subsequently, he's pretty damn good at that, one of those rare actors who can actually get more out of himself than a removed filmmaker. A proper Boston movie, director Affleck does the typical "City is character" trick, and does so very well, but his personification Beantown is nothing compared to the humans involved; Jeremy Renner's psycho Jem in particular, but his own lead too. Affleck is Doug MacRay, a bank robber who falls into a relationship with a former hostage and subsequently into a conflict between his job and his life. It's not the most original arc, but. as with his direction, the actor endeavors to to make it as truthful as possible, attempting to capture reality rather than sensationalise for entertainment purposes. This is both why The Town was praised on release and hasn't had quite the longevity it deserves.