Live by Night

Although considered a commercial flop, this is a Prohibition-era gangster film with a lot going for it, including a great cast, an unpredictable plot (adapted from a best-selling novel), and some tensely staged set-pieces.

Premise:  In Prohibition-era Boston, former WWI soldier Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck) is a self-proclaimed “outlaw” living off nickel-and-dime robberies, with no interest in becoming involved in the escalating gang war between the Irish and Italian mobs.  But a dalliance with the mistress of gangster Albert White (Robert Glenister), the boss of the Irish mob, drags Joe to increasingly dark places.

Verdict:

I missed this film in the cinema, because after it flopped commercially in the States, it was all but pulled from UK cinemas.  I therefore went in with relatively low expectations when I finally got to see Live by Night on Blu-ray, but the truth is … it’s a very enjoyable, very entertaining period gangster film.  Sure, if you don’t like period gangster films then this won’t be your cup of tea, but that’s no reflection on Live by Night, and I’d say this is the best period gangster film I’ve seen in a good few years (I prefer this to, say, Johnny Depp's Black Mass, or Legend which – dual performances from Tom Hardy aside – didn’t have nearly as entertaining a story to tell as Live by Night).

Maybe it was just Ben Affleck’s time for a public/critical backlash (not the first time he’s faced one) – after all, he already has two (non-acting) Oscars to his name, his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone was one of the great modern-noir films of the last decade (earning an Oscar nomination), his directorial follow up The Town was one of the best modern crime dramas in recent years (also Oscar nominated), and his third directing project Argo was nominated for seven Oscars, winning three including Best Picture.  To say that Live by Night is his least good directing job so far is not much of an insult.

“…interesting character moments and unforeseen plot developments…”

Affleck’s first film as director, Gone Baby Gone, was adapted from a novel by Dennis Lehane (whose books have also been used for films like Mystic River and Shutter Island), and Affleck returns to adapting a Dennis Lehane novel for Live by Night.  Personally, I think their respective styles complement each other brilliantly, and Live by Night has a lot of the interesting character moments and unforeseen plot developments that made Gone Baby Gone such a great film.

Now I’m not a huge fan of period gangster films, and I’ll confess that the first 20 minutes or so of Live by Night did feel very derivative, as Joe Coughlin becomes involved with Emma Gould (Sienna Miller), the mistress of the head of the Irish mob, which we all know will not end well.  So far, so Boardwalk Empire, you might be forgiven for thinking – but this opening section is merely setting up Joe Coughlin’s backstory, which then develops in what I found to be a very interesting and not necessarily obvious way.  I also liked the fact that, presumably because the film is based on a novel, it doesn’t have a straightforward (and predictable) three-act structure – instead, the film could probably be divided into about five sections, each detailing a separate stage of Joe’s moral decline into becoming a fully-fledged gangster.

“…Affleck has lost none of his visual flair as a director…”

The supporting cast is also, without exception, great – as well as Sienna Miller and Robert Glenister, there are countless other fantastic character actors filling the supporting roles, including Brendan Gleeson as Joe’s disapproving police captain father, Chris Cooper as a pragmatic but incorruptible local police chief, Elle Fanning as his naïve daughter, Zoe Saldana as the sister of a Cuban businessman key to the bootlegging operation, and Chris Messina as Joe’s right hand man.

Visually, Affleck has lost none of his flair as a director, and the scenes in 1920’s Boston and, later on, in Tampa and across Florida, are a sight to behold.  There’s also a great car chase staged with period cars, which is unlike anything I can remember having seen in a period gangster film before.  When the action moves to Tampa, the film also explores some interesting themes regarding racism, class divides, the KKK and Christian fundamentalism – but never in a way that overshadows the plot.

“…there is plenty to enjoy watching this crime saga unfold…”

So yes, this is Affleck’s weakest film as a director (but that is not saying much), and yes, if you don’t like period gangster films then this isn’t for you – but if you do have any affection for this sub-genre (and I wouldn’t exactly call myself a huge fan), then there is plenty to enjoy watching this crime saga unfold.