Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd, then go see this new crime classic. Written by, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, “The Town” follows a gang of heavily accented bank robbers as they pull jobs in Bean Town. Unlike “The Italian Job” or “Ocean’s 11,” Affleck the director doesn’t take the time to explain the complexities of robbing a bank. From what I gather, one needs no sense of fashion, physics or foreign language to successfully break into an East Coast financial institution and walk away with thousands of dollars. No “Esquire” subscription or Ivy League education required.

This movie is by no means a masterpiece, but it does keep you on the edge of your seat and provide further insight into Bennifer’s, (minus “nifer”) career obsession with his hometown. “The Town” examines how Charlestown, a small, dangerous neighborhood of Boston, has shaped the average Joe into a money hungry thief.

The suspense begins to build when Affleck’s character, Doug MacRay, starts dating the attractive bank manager (Rebecca Hall) he just happened to meet on the job—“the job” being a bank robbery followed by a kidnapping. Not smart, but hey, she’s super cute, and since there was a blindfold involved, she has no way of knowing that he was one of the guys in a nun mask, with a machine gun. Instead, she finds him curiously familiar but is unable to link him to the heist.

Tensions rise higher when Adam Frawley, an FBI agent played by Jon Hamm (a homeboy who hails from Clayton, MO), gets involved. He suspects Doug of robbery, especially when he learns that Doug is dating the previously mentioned bank manager. All the while, Doug aspires to leave Charlestown with his former-hostage-now-girlfriend, but the Irish mob and Hamm’s character make it difficult for him to pack a suitcase.

Those who enjoy Hamm as Don Draper in the AMC series “Mad Men” will enjoy him in “The Town.” As an officious FBI agent, Hamm wears a black suit, speaks in an authoritative tone, and even drinks whiskey neat. Sound familiar? It’s a shock every time Peggy Olsen doesn’t walk through the door with new ad copy in hand for Don’s approval. Despite the similarities, Hamm makes a successful transition from the TV to the silver screen.

However, watching this film raises one very important question: Why Charlestown? There are many other cities and neighborhoods more notorious for their crime rates than Charlestown, so it feels a bit contrived on Affleck’s part to see the town presented as a virtua-warzone.

As far as action movies go, Affleck finds an equilibrium between explosions and character development. A film about robbing banks is cliché, but a film about Charlestown (where bank robberies happen to be a way of life) offers a fresh perspective on the “take the money and run” storyline.

Still, one has to worry about how many times Affleck can return to Boston before the well runs dry. At this rate, it won’t be long before ticket-buyers say, “Honestly, Ben. Enough with Boston.”