THE TOWN

authenticious adv.  1. Genuine; real, combined with fictional attributes. 
 2. Boston-area slang term for mix of real people and places with fictional story [Grk: authentikos] Source, screenplay, The Town.


Kudos to Ben Affleck.  Fact-based realism was first and foremost on his mind while making the gritty heist film, The Town.  The actor/director met with real criminals and cops to capture true stories and bring authentic dialogue, character traits, and milieu to his motion picture. "We did a ton of research," Ben recalls. "We went to prison, talked to bank robbers, and met with guys at the FBI who were counterpoints to Agent Frawley, the character played by Jon Hamm." 

The story, based on the book Prince of Thieves, by Chuck Hogan, is set in the Boston area of Charlestown, where one thief falls in love with a hostage.

And here's a startling fact: Charlestown is not only a real Boston neighborhood, but holds the record for producing the most bank and armored car robbers in the U.S.!

Affleck also based one memorable scene on a famous robbery in Harvard Square that went awry (a guard shot two out of three robbers who crashed their getaway car while fleeing).  

Owen Burke, who plays one of the bank robbing gang, was cast through an open call. "I've actually met a few bank robbers from Charlestown," he reveals. "The were pretty open with me about some of the
things they did, so I can say firsthand that a lot of the movie is realistic."

In addition, Ben hired local Bostonians to round out the cast-- including ex-cons and ex-cops.