Insider: Stealing More Than Cash

You can’t find The Town, Ben Affleck’s 2010 flick about Charlestown bank robbers, in theaters anymore. Of course, you could just turn to the crime blotter. Inspired by the thuggery from the movie (based on a Chuck Hogan novel), copycats are breaking out the nuns’ habits in break-in attempts from here to Illinois. Most recently, a would-be crew of Brooklyn thieves swiped The Town’s technique of pouring bleach on cash registers and ATMs to remove DNA evidence.

“There was definitely an uptick once the movie hit HBO,” says Hogan, who unofficially tracks The Town’s influence. “It’s another tier of viewers, the pay-cable criminals.” If the film makes it to basic cable, look out. “When they’re showing it all the time,” Hogan says, “you’ll just basically want to bank from home.”

Photo via Warner Brothers