Narcissism dogs Affleck’s self-direction which is too forgiving of his dubious character and relegates its female stars to sacrificial roles.
A handsome period drama with the occasional impressive flourish, but despite its rich subject matter, it's Affleck’s weakest film yet as a director.
A hulking folly, but at least an ambitious one.
Design-wise, Live by Night benefits from pleasing contrasts – the greys of Boston versus blues of Florida – but sumptuous visuals can't hide the flaws of a film that's a far cry from a gangster classic.
The tension dissipates and the film loses the edge that no self-respecting gangster yarn can really do without.
Disappointing.
A film that has bitten off much more than it can chew.
Ben Affleck paints too rosy a portrait of the prohibition era in his return to the work of Dennis Lehane.
Live by Night just about gets by on its style, brisk pace and some neat supporting turns from the likes of Brendan Gleeson and Zoe Saldana. It is ultimately something of a blot on Affleck’s copybook however, after the triumphant Oscar poacher that was Argo.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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