Ben Affleck’s 92% RT Crime Thriller Is A Streaming Hit, But The Alternate Ending Is Superior

Ben Affleck can count himself among an elite group of A-list actors just as renowned for their skills in a director’s chair as for their onscreen work, and 2010’s The Town played a large role in that. A tense crime thriller with romantic elements and keen social commentary, The Town was nominated for a handful of awards, took $154 million at the box office, and received a great deal of love from both audiences and critics.

The Town has recently enjoyed a resurgence after being added to HBO Max at the start of November. Affleck’s Charlestown-set story found itself entering the platform’s top 10 during the first week of the month. While it’s great that subscribers are discovering, or rediscovering, The Town, it’s a curious thing that a better cut of the movie exists with a superior ending.

What Happens In The Town’s Alternate Ending

The Town Alternate Ending Doug MacRay Ben Affleck Death

The theatrical cut of The Town sees Ben Affleck’s Doug MacRay escape the FBI, quit his criminal life in Charlestown, get revenge on the gangster who ruined his family, and leave a ton of stolen money to the woman he loves. Although Doug flees to Florida, he offers Claire a breadcrumb of hope that they’ll be together again when the heat dies down.

It’s not the happy-happy ending, which would have been Doug and Claire driving off into the sunset together tossing dollar bills from the car window, but it is pretty close. Doug’s dream essentially comes true, the violent collapse of his entire crew notwithstanding.

In The Town‘s alternate ending, Doug still evades the FBI, kills Fergie, and gets the money to Claire… but he can’t escape the ghost of Charlestown. Earlier in the movie, Doug and Jem had assaulted a group of men who threw bottles at Claire in the street. The Town‘s theatrical cut never revisits that particular plot point, but the alternate version ends with these thugs catching up to Doug and holding him at gunpoint during his attempt to skip town. After a tense standoff, Doug is fatally shot.

Why The Town’s Alternate Ending Is The Superior Version

Ben Affleck and Rebecca Hall stare at each other in The Town

Arguably the biggest problem with The Town, otherwise an extremely compelling watch, is the way it cajoles the viewer into rooting for Ben Affleck’s character. The audience is willing him to “get away with it” in the final act, booing the FBI for having the audacity to chase a criminal. But Doug MacRay is, without doubt, a bad man. Even if you can look past the various crimes he commits during The Town, as well as the many crimes we’re led to believe he committed beforehand, the deceptive manner of his romance with Claire leaves a sour taste.

For the rest of its runtime, The Town offers a gritty and brutal depiction of gang life. The theatrical ending suddenly transcends into Hollywood fantasy, whereas the alternate cut retains the core spirit of the film.

The Town‘s dropped ending also does a better job of honoring the movie’s title. “The Town” is named as such because it depicts how Charlestown shapes the lives of families like the MacRays. The town itself is given characterization. The gang getting revenge on Doug before his escape sends the fittingly ominous message that no one can ever really escape “the Town.”

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of The Town‘s unused ending, however, is that Doug seemingly embraces death. Before any shots are fired, Doug’s attacker is wavering in his resolve to commit murder. Doug appears to consider his fate at this point, watching a plane fly away in the distance, then he provokes the shooter by sarcastically asking, “How’s the leg?“

In this moment, it feels like Doug knows exactly what he’s doing. He understands he’ll never escape, realizes too many wrongs have been committed, and accepts his dream of Florida was only ever a fantasy. Doug takes control of his destiny one final time, leaving The Town with a downbeat conclusion, but one that fits the arc of Affleck’s character far better than the happier alternative.

Release Date

September 17, 2010

Runtime

125 minutes

Producers

Basil Iwanyk, Graham King