Post by daniel on Jan 18, 2017 0:37:08 GMT -5
I almost hate to start review threads because I don't really go into the exposition people like Dracula or Doomsday do.
Given that Ben Affleck has written and/or directed the well-achieved likes of Good Will Hunting, Argo, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, it's hard to ignore a film when it has his name attached as writer and/or director. Here, he has the job of both, but he also does his usual schtick (sans Gone Baby Gone) where he casts himself as the lead role as well.
While this is typically a recipe for success, Live by Night proves to be Affleck's first misstep. Taking on the classic gangster formula, Affleck tells the story of reluctant gangster Joe Coughlin. While somehow working for the mafia while managing to stay outside of it, his involvement with the mafia head's girlfriend winds him up in a bad position, and he gives in to the pressure of joining the mafia full-fledged in order to exact revenge for a night that went all wrong. It's hard to root for his character, as he got his just desserts for being a scumbag, and I think Affleck assigned too much credit to his character simply because he was the one playing him. In the end, there was a steep price to pay for the choices he made, but it was hard to latch on to his or any other character when they were all equally guilty, and too stiff to really be compelling. The general mood, story, and characterizations felt like Gangster-lite. There was none of the charm or bravado of your classic gangster movies, and this one brought nothing new to the table. Instead, it was simply a thin story that moved along rather jaggedly.
This will likely end up on the same list, for me, as 2016 movies like Keanu and Triple 9 - months from now I'll entirely forget I saw this movie, although I'll likely be reminded just like Affleck will for his one and only big misstep thus far.
4/10 - below average and kind of "meh"
Given that Ben Affleck has written and/or directed the well-achieved likes of Good Will Hunting, Argo, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, it's hard to ignore a film when it has his name attached as writer and/or director. Here, he has the job of both, but he also does his usual schtick (sans Gone Baby Gone) where he casts himself as the lead role as well.
While this is typically a recipe for success, Live by Night proves to be Affleck's first misstep. Taking on the classic gangster formula, Affleck tells the story of reluctant gangster Joe Coughlin. While somehow working for the mafia while managing to stay outside of it, his involvement with the mafia head's girlfriend winds him up in a bad position, and he gives in to the pressure of joining the mafia full-fledged in order to exact revenge for a night that went all wrong. It's hard to root for his character, as he got his just desserts for being a scumbag, and I think Affleck assigned too much credit to his character simply because he was the one playing him. In the end, there was a steep price to pay for the choices he made, but it was hard to latch on to his or any other character when they were all equally guilty, and too stiff to really be compelling. The general mood, story, and characterizations felt like Gangster-lite. There was none of the charm or bravado of your classic gangster movies, and this one brought nothing new to the table. Instead, it was simply a thin story that moved along rather jaggedly.
This will likely end up on the same list, for me, as 2016 movies like Keanu and Triple 9 - months from now I'll entirely forget I saw this movie, although I'll likely be reminded just like Affleck will for his one and only big misstep thus far.
4/10 - below average and kind of "meh"
