Movie Review - Live by Night

Live By Night ***½ (out of 5) (R) Kudos to Ben Affleck! Whatever detractors might say about his career and off-screen shortcomings, he proves again that he can direct and star in a film without turning it into an overblown ego trip. In Argo, he excelled while wearing both hats. He does almost as well in this period crime drama, while also writing the screenplay. That sets him above certain other Hollywood luminaries, including a couple whose names rhyme with Bostner and Drysand.

In the style of Goodfellas, Affleck narrates his character’s rise after WW I from low-level Boston thief to major player in one of the organized crime families. Although his dad (Brendan Gleason) was a cop, and he got caught in the middle between the Irish and Italian mobs vying for control of the Prohibition-era booze market (and other related endeavors), he fared well for a while, running the Florida part of the biz for his Capo. He also gets hot and heavy with babes played by Sienna Miller and Zoe Saldana, living up to Mel Brooks’ pearl of wisdom, “It’s good to be the king”.

The story is both solid, and well-presented, with its two-hour running time perfect for the material. The balance of violence with character development, romance and suspense is also a sign of good judgment. His base of operations in Tampa requires close dealings with the local Cubans, adding music, color and energy to the proceedings. That also sets up the Ku Klux Klan of 1920s’ Florida for another substantive dimension beyond the complexities of competition and co-existence among cops, politicians and factions of the crooks. The feel of authenticity is surely enhanced for those recalling scads of similar story arcs about crime in that time featuring a Jimmy Cagney or Edward G. Robinson.

But the biggest stars here are the horde of mostly-anonymous people listed in the credits who were responsible for sets, costumes, props and locations. From the gritty streets of Boston, to the then-undeveloped Gulf Coast of Florida; from a cross-cultural array of restaurants, bars and clubs, to the halls and mansions of power, everything looks and sounds splendid. Affleck’s direction of the action sequences is good enough for one who only earns his checks by working that side of the camera.

No one could call this a feel-good movie, but it delivers on all the elements it tries to present. That’s what they all wish they could do. (1/13/17)