MovieChat Forums > Set It Off (1996) Discussion > THE TOWN...are you serious

THE TOWN...are you serious

posted 14 years ago by Sorse545
23 replies | jump to latest

this movie was about 4 african american females who come from a poor neighborhood get together to rob banks but the Town, directed by Ben Afflek deals with 4 boston irish males who come from a poor neighborhood get together to rob banks and in both movies each of the 4 die in the exact way
1st dies from gunshot(s)
2nd dies when they drive a car into a police blockade
3rd dies when the 4th one watches
4th lives and contacts the person WHO THEY MET IN THE BANK

SO WHY THE HELL IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS??????

[–] simba122504 14 years ago

I haven't watched "The Town" yet.

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[–] knight_sentinel 13 years ago

I don't know about them being ripped off since "The Town" was based on the novel by Chuck Hogan entitled "Prince of Thieves" the novel was re-printed as "The Town".

Takashi Bufford wrote "set It Off" as an original story and screenplay, now did Chuck Hogan get the idea to do the book from this film I doubt it. Since this theme has been around since books have been written, and then it made it's way into films and even television.

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[–] cherry560 13 years ago

What the OP is talking about is not the theme, its about being exactly the same character wise and story wise. I have to say that the OP is not lying, expect for them being men and there is no child in The town. I would say yes Chuck Hogan got his idea from this movie. There is no doubt in my mind that he did.

[–] knight_sentinel 13 years ago

What the OP is talking about is not the theme, its about being exactly the same character wise and story wise. I have to say that the OP is not lying, expect for them being men and there is no child in The town. I would say yes Chuck Hogan got his idea from this movie. There is no doubt in my mind that he did.

One please find in my post where I mentioned anything about the theme.

Two, try reading the book first, because the film is an adaptation of "a book" by Chuck Hogan who also wrote "Devils in Exile" where the thieves rob drug dealers instead of a bank and are pursued by the DEA, and hit men working for the drug lords and Chuck Hogan wrote "Prince of Thieves" (aka The Town) first followed by "Devils in Exile" which also doesn't have pretty ending.

So exactly how was "The Town" a rip off this film? when it was adapted from a book?, which you've no doubt never read or you would be saying that it's a rip off.

This is what happens when people get their facts from watching only movies, it's as if nothing else existed.

The film "Takers" about four bank robbers ends the exact same way, although we're left wondering if the two last remaining bank robbers die of their injuries. Ironically "Takers" and "The Town" were released the same year.

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[–] YourAgent 13 years ago

One please find in my post where I mentioned anything about the theme.

Are you really this stupid?

by knight_sentinel (Tue Nov 15 2011 16:05:14)
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I don't know about them being ripped off since "The Town" was based on the novel by Chuck Hogan entitled "Prince of Thieves" the novel was re-printed as "The Town".

Takashi Bufford wrote "set It Off" as an original story and screenplay, now did Chuck Hogan get the idea to do the book from this film I doubt it. Since this theme has been around since books have been written, and then it made it's way into films and even television.

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[–] knight_sentinel 13 years ago

YourAgent

Are you really this stupid

Are You? Again where did I give an out line about the theme of the film, screenplay or book?

I never gave any information about the the theme in my previous post or my second others outlined plots of the movie and theme of the movie.

Again, find anywhere in my post where I mentioned the theme of the film, screenplay or the book.

Most of the people don't appear to know that there was a book named "Prince of Thieves" and the film "The Town" was based on the book "Prince of Thieves" when the film was released they renamed the book "The Town"

LOL! If I had mentioned the theme before the post you quoted I would look stupid, but apparently the only person who looks foolish is you.

If I mentioned the themes of any of these please quote where I listed what the themes were in the books, screenplay and film.

Please where in my previous post did I mention the themes, have you read the book to even know what the theme in the book is about, you're a troll and an idiot, LOL!

I didn't mention the themes because there are people who may have wanted to read the book, and if you haven't read the book how would you know what the theme was in the book, especially since I didn't mention what the story in the book was about in the first place.

After you've read the book then we can discuss the differences in themes, the screenplay, film and book.

[–] YourAgent 13 years ago

No, you really are stupid. I guess you don't understand the term "mention." Don't use words you don't understand, moron.

I met Cinderella once... she's actually kind of a bitch.

[–] knight_sentinel 13 years ago

Well it would take a stupid person to know one since you're the one calling someone stupid.

One it's not a rip off. Two I was pretty clear in mentioning the film "The Town" was based on a book, The movie jack wagon winjer is based on the Chuck Hogan book Prince of Thieves - reprinted in 2010 as The Town

You might as well say "Set It Off" ripped off "Bonnie and Clyde" any version before 1996, "Heat" which came out before "Set It Off" in 1995 or even "Killing Zoe" which came out in 1994.

Maybe you should try reading some of Chuck Hogan's other books, he follows a similar "THEME" in all his books, try reading the one he wrote before "The Prince of Thieves", the characters in his books don't have happy endings.

As I stated the film wasn't a rip off, unless "Set It Off" ripped 0ff the three films I just mentioned. The bank robberies were planned in those films as well and it didn't end well for the bank robbers.

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[–] koffeenkreame41-1 12 years ago

I wouldn't say that both films are THAT similar, they do have a few similarities but it's not a rip-off. Affleck's character is the only one that makes it out and gets his revenge on Postlethwaite's character before the end of the film. Wheras Stony just leaves her old life behind, changes her appearance. Only thing that SIO, Heat & The Town is that banks are robbed, some of the crew are killed and one manages to escape, that's really it.

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[–] knight_sentinel 12 years ago

I wouldn't say that both films are THAT similar, they do have a few similarities but it's not a rip-off.

Why are you even replying to me? I never mentioned any of the things you brought up.

Where did I say they were I clearly stated the "THEMES" were similar, and I never claimed in any of my posts about it being a rip off. Unlike some of the other posters I actually had read the book.

The similarity in themes are that they all involve a bank robbery or a heist.

The James Cagney film "white Heat" is another film with a similar theme about a gang of criminal committing a robberies, a similarity doesn't the story has to be "EXACTLY" the same.

Is every bank robbery or heist film a rip off? No! writers and film makers just regurgitate similar themes.

"Dead Presidents", The Italian Job", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Inside Man", ""Guns, Girls, and Gangsters" all heist films.

"Point Break" which like "White Heat" not only uses the theme of a gang of thieves committing robberies but also uses an undercover officer to get close to and befriend the leader of the gang and take him and his gang down but I don't consider "Point Break" to be a rip off either, it just had a somewhat similar theme to "White Heat".

They're just heist films and any heist film is going to have some similarities, it doesn't make them rip offs.

Hollywood and the rest of the world have been making heist films since they first started making moving pictures one of the first early silent films is about a train robbery entitled "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) and in that film the bandits are eventually tracked down by a posse and killed in a shoot out.

Every heist film has pretty much followed the theme started in "The Great Train Robbery" from 1903, but they're not rip off, just a regurgitated theme, that will be regurgitated time and time again.

Directors who have paid homage to "The Great train Robbery" Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott the main bad guy at the end of the film fires his gun at the camera appearing to shoot at the audience they pay homage to that scene in opening credits to all the James Bond films.

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[–] jljreo03 11 years ago

Well I would have said Chuck Hogan ripped it off with his book. Because the book came out in 2004, and then the movie came out later. So yeah I would say with how the characters died etc... He rippe it off, I actually thought to myself while watching the town that it was exactly like set it off. Surprisingly not a lot of people I know, know about set it off.

[–] danimal09752 11 years ago

"Heat" came out 2 years prior to "Set It Off" and has a 4 person crew robbing banks, all but one dies. In "Heat"...

1 guy dies from a gunshot wound...

Another dies driving into a police blockade...

Another dies with the survivor watching...

And the guy that caused the members of the crew to die gets killed by one of the crew.

And "Heat" came out less than 2 years prior to "Set It Off". So I suppose that means this movie ripped off "Heat". Funny that the OP doesn't mention that part of the equation...

[–] autocascade 9 years ago

The Town - Charlestown, MA is infamous for having a lot of homegrown bank robbers and for the residents to keep their mouths shut and not cooperate with the police.

There was a crew not that long ago, that had weapons like you wouldn't believe - vests, AK's grenades etc, who planned to take down a Wells Fargo depot in 2001. Two of them were arrested for something else and the plan fell apart.

Hence the reason 'The Town' showed well planned robberies and a high profile robbery - Fenway Park.

I like both movies btw.