Summary

The Town, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, holds a 92% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and has surged in Netflix viewership.
Affleck has already had a successful year thanks to The Accountant 2, which recently hit streaming.
Affleck's stellar record with crime thrillers looks to continue with Animal and The RIP.

As The Accountant 2 continues its success and debuts on streaming, Ben Affleck's 2010 crime thriller, which holds a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and co-stars Jeremy Renner, has seen a surge in Netflix viewership. Based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves, Affleck directed the film, which he also co-wrote with former Gone Baby Gone collaborator Aaron Stockard and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Bad Boys for Life scribe Peter Craig.

They retitled Hogan's novel and adapted the story with a stellar cast. Affleck leads the cast alongside Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Titus Welliver, Chris Cooper, and Blake Lively. The movie impressed critics at the time, and now, thanks to Affleck's recent success in the same genre with The Accountant 2, audiences are rediscovering The Town on streaming.

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By Matthew Kelly

Ben Affleck Has Already Had An Impressive Year With The Accountant 2

jon-bernthal-and-ben-affleck-in-formation-carrying-guns-in-military-uniforms-in-the-accountant-2

2016's The Accountant follows an autistic math savant, who is also a skilled assassin, played by Affleck. The plot sees him pulled into life-and-death stakes when he learns that a company he consults for is cooking the books for nefarious purposes. Audiences enjoyed it more than critics, but the $44 million budget saw a worldwide box office return of $155 million.

The Accountant 2 hit theaters in April, among hits like A Minecraft Movie. The plot teams Affleck's accountant with his brother, played by Jon Bernthal, giving the audience a mismatched pair that can deliver thrills and laughs along with a plot that sees them in an altruistic endeavor. Critics and audiences aligned more with the sequel, which has garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews. Despite stiff competition, The Accountant 2 has earned $102 million worldwide so far, and while that number may inch up a bit, the movie has made its streaming debut on Prime Video, meaning its box office run is largely over. However, despite The Accountant 2 performing for Prime Video, it has also boosted Affleck's star on other streaming services.

The Town Continues To Thrill Streaming Audiences 15 Years After Its Release

the town ben affleck jeremy renner — The Town - Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner

The Town jumped into Netflix's Top 10 this week, seeing the 15-year-old movie pulling in stellar viewership numbers. Affleck's recent success with The Accountant likely helps, but the film's spectacular reviews also help. The plot follows a group of bank robbers, led by Affleck and his friend, played by Jeremy Renner, and law enforcement, played by Jon Hamm, who are on their trail following a recent daring heist. Things are further complicated when Affleck falls in love with Hall's character, who was their hostage during the job. Critics and audiences praised The Town for its smart script and tense encounters, all bolstered by a superb cast, with Rotten Tomatoes showing the Critics Score as 92% Fresh, with the Audience Score close behind at 85%.

The Town's cast has only grown in popularity since its release. Renner blew up as Hawkeye in the MCU, Hamm's star has soared thanks to Mad Men, and Affleck added another Academy Award win to his resume with Argo. It's the type of movie many may not have been aware of upon release, but the cast immediately draws them in with excitement. The Town also helps anyone in the mood for an Affleck movie that falls into the same genre as The Accountant 2, as they both deal with law enforcement and the criminal underworld. Rising on Netflix's charts after 15 years, it looks like The Town may become a crime classic.

Ben Affleck Has More Acting And Directing Projects Lined Up In The Crime Thriller Genre

The Town is Affleck's second directorial effort after 2007's Gone Baby Gone, which starred his brother Casey Affleck and garnered even higher Rotten Tomatoes scores. He also followed The Town with 2012's Argo, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, earning fantastic reviews and continuing to prove that Affleck is an accomplished director. While 2016's Live by Night underwhelmed, he returned strong with 2023's Air, which told the story of Nike making the first Michael Jordan sneakers.

His next directed feature, Animal, is said to be in post-production. He also co-wrote and stars in it alongside Gillian Anderson of The X-Files fame. Animal currently doesn't have a release date, but it will follow a mayoral candidate and his wife as dark secrets come to light when their son is kidnapped and ransomed.

Since The Town, Affleck's acting career has seen superb entries like Gone Girl, The Way Back, and The Last Duel. However, he has also dealt with troubled roles, like his time as the DCEU's Batman, where he starred in the maligned Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, among others. Despite misses like Runner Runner and Hypnotic, he's continued to find interesting projects, with his next acting outing again putting him alongside friend and frequent collaborator Matt Damon in Netflix's The RIP. The RIP is written and directed by The A-Team and The Grey director Joe Carnahan, who is returning to his roots with movies like Narc in the gritty new crime thriller. While The Town continues to impress audiences on streaming, fans of Affleck's work in the genre have plenty to look forward to regarding his future choices.