LIVE BY NIGHT – Review

In a film about starting over and new beginnings, Ben Affleck struggles to breathe life in front of and behind the camera. Written, directed, and starring Affleck, LIVE BY NIGHT is a stylish gangster film that’s so languid and dull that even Affleck’s unnecessary narration throughout the film sounds like he’s falling asleep telling his own tale.

World War I has left Joe Coughlin (Affleck) jaded and emotionally wounded. The son of a lawman (Brendan Gleeson) follows down a crime-ridden path of robbery and corruption. Things get dicey when he gets involved with the girl (Sienna Miller) of one of the two big crime bosses in Boston. It’s a tug of war between the Irish and Italian mobs, which eventually extends down to Florida when Joe goes to work for the Italian mob. However, Joe runs into more issues with some locals when he partners with the Cubans to build a casino.

LIVE BY NIGHT leaves out everything that makes gangster films so entertaining. A lack of suspense or action is just one of the film’s crimes. So much time is spent showing negotiations and back deals but with little consequence or anything at stake. It’s lot of words that don’t lead to any sparks.

At about the halfway point is when the film shifts from being a sub-standard gangster film to a message-heavy, one man ego show for Affleck. The new “Dark Knight” suddenly becomes a white knight (literally dressed in white suits, as well), heavily insinuating that you can find new life without religion while attempting to protect the minorities that are being attacked by the KKK in Tampa. The whole affair reeks of Affleck pushing his own self-righteous agenda, instead of being naturally interwoven into the story.

Affleck uses his movie star status to take center stage. The problem with this is that he’s the least interesting character in this whole costume drama. Elle Fanning and Chris Cooper deliver characters with depth, effectively portraying their internal conflicts and past regrets. But the supporting cast feels exactly that when so much time is spent showing the lead driving around in vintage cars across the Florida glades (albeit gorgeous cinematography from Robert Richardson) and strutting his stuff in three piece suits. 

In the end, it’s not so much guilty of being a pulpy pastiche as much as just being a boring and lifeless journey through a criminal underworld that we’ve seen before. Saying so much while not saying much at all is a combination that will make you say “goodnight.”

Overall score: 2 out of 5

LIVE BY NIGHT opens in theaters everywhere Friday, January 13th