The Ben Affleck Post-Oscar Movie That No One Saw (But Should)

The Big Picture

• Live By Night
  is a tragic tale of a man who falls into a life of crime despite his best intentions.
• The film stands out due to Affleck’s skills as a writer and director, offering a fresh and thrilling take on the gangster genre.
• The film’s release was hindered by scheduling conflicts, a January release date, and competition, overshadowed by Affleck’s role as Batman.

Ben Affleck has proven to be just as talented of a writer/director as he is an actor. His historical thriller Argo became a critical success and even won a trio of Academy Awards including Best Picture. And his latest directorial effort Air is receiving rave reviews – both for its portrayal of the historic deal between Nike & Michael Jordan and the fact that this is the first time Affleck is directing his longtime friend Matt Damon. But there’s one Affleck film that may have slipped under people’s radar: Live by Night.

Based on Dennis Lehane‘s novel of the same name, Live By Night stars Affleck as Joe Coughlin, a man who becomes one of the most formidable gangsters of the 1920s. On paper, it sounded like a sure-fire recipe for success. In addition to Affleck, Live By Night boasted an ensemble cast including Zoë Saldana, Sienna Miller, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, and Chris Cooper. Leonardo DiCaprio was onboard as a producer – ironically, Warner Bros. developed the film as a starring vehicle for him. And Warner Bros. intended to give the film a Christmas release, which is considered one of the biggest release dates for a movie.

But Live By Night wasn’t quite the success that anyone involved was hoping for. Critical reception was mixed, with many reviewers expressing their disappointment in the final product. And the film ended up flopping at the box office to the tune of $75 million. I recently re-watched the film and came away with a surprisingly different view: it was a tragic tale of a man who despite his best intentions fell into a life of crime and chaos. That’s not even mentioning how much of a command Affleck has over the narrative as the film’s writer/director.

What is ‘Live by Night’ About?

Affleck takes great pains to differentiate Coughlin from the Corleones and Scarfaces of crime films, establishing him as a gangster with a moral code. Though he engages in crimes like bootlegging and robbery, Coughlin gives away his ill-gotten gains to support other communities – particularly the Cuban neighborhood that he resides in once he moves to Florida. And he refuses an offer to work with the Ku Klux Klan, having his right-hand man Dion Bartolo (Chris Messina) shoot Tampa’s Klan leader in cold blood. Coughlin is also loyal to his friends, particularly police lieutenant Irving Figgis (Cooper). When Figgis’ daughter Loretta (Elle Fanning) ends up addicted to heroin after moving to Hollywood, Coughlin says he’ll help get her clean if Figgis can help him take down the Klan.

If there’s one fatal flaw that Coughlin has, it’s his tendency to love – and love deeply, even if those relationships cause him problems. The first act of the film is dedicated to exploring this, showing Coughlin’s relationship with Emma Gould (Sienna Miller). Emma happens to be the girlfriend of Albert White (Robert Glenstier) who Coughlin’s been ripping off. Eventually, Coughlin is betrayed by Emma and brutally beaten by White’s men. He eventually does find a new relationship with Graciela (Saldana), who happens to be the sister of a bootlegger he works with.

Coughlin’s relationships seem to stem from the fractured bond with his father, Thomas (Brendan Gleeson). While Coughlin is a skilled criminal, Thomas is a decorated police officer. And he’s not willing to cut his son any slack. Even though he cuts a deal for a lighter sentence, Thomas is still willing to send his son to jail. And even worse, Thomas dies of a heart attack two weeks before Joe gets out of jail. Joe decides to be a better father to his son, Tommy, and gets out of the crime business after all his enemies are dead.

Affleck’s Skills As A Writer/Director Make ‘Live By Night’ a Standout

Not only does Affleck turn in a rich and layered performance as Coughlin, but he also methodically constructs a crime thriller that has all the trappings of a Greek tragedy. Each act depicts Joe’s rise to a certain station in life, followed by an equally meteoric fall. And though Live By Night is mostly a character piece when the violence hits it hits hard. The standout of the film features a car chase in the first act, as Coughlin and his fellow robbers have to escape the police. Affleck never lets up on the forward momentum as he has the camera move in a way that makes it feel like the audience is moving alongside the robbers. And the ending is just as jarring as you’d expect a high-octane car crash to go, even though these aren’t modern vehicles.

Most of Live By Night reminded me of another film Affleck directed: the much better-received The Town. Much like this film, it focused on a gangster played by Affleck who enters into a fraught relationship. The shootouts are staged with gravity and intensity that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. It not only shows that Affleck has an affinity for this genre of film, but that he also knows how to play with its conventions to deliver fresh and thrilling tales.

The Shadow of Batman and Shifting Release Dates Hurt ‘Live By Night’

So what exactly hurt Live By Night? A large part of it had to do with the scheduling.Production was originally slated to begin in 2013, but was pushed back due to Affleck starring in Gone Girl and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. On top of that, Live By Night‘s release date bounced around the calendar before finally landing on January 13, 2017. January is a bit of a gamble when it comes to movies; sometimes it will produce some gems but mostly it’s a dumping ground for studios. And the final nail in the coffin was the competition. Live by Night ended up losing out the top spot to Hidden Figures, with an insane three-day drop.

It also didn’t help that most of the focus was on Affleck’s then-imminent future as Batman; in addition to Dawn of Justice, he was slated to write and direct a film featuring the Dark Knight. Most of the interviews for Live by Night focused on that rather than the film itself, to the point where you couldn’t blame Affleck for washing his hands of the superhero genre. In the end, Live by Night is a film that definitely deserved a bigger audience and is one of Affleck’s more underrated films.

Live by Night is available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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