Set in Prohibition-era America, Live By Night is the story of a Boston gangster with a conscience. Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck) is a WWI veteran who makes his living ripping off mobsters. When one of his heists goes sideways, he ends up doing some time in jail. Only because his father is connected enough to keep him out of the electric chair. After doing his time, Coughlin goes to work for boss Meso Pescatore (Remo Girone). His singular focus is to take out Pescatore's competitor, Albert White (Robert Glenister). In the process, Coughlin builds an empire in Florida off the rum trade. He plies his trade with violence and intellect, but draws the line at killing innocent people. He has a code. A code that could cost him his empire or maybe even his life.
Affleck cast himself in this screenplay that he adapted from a novel by Dennis Lehane. Lehane has done some great work. I liked his novels Shutter Island, The Drop, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. However, something was likely lost in the translation with this story. I did not read the book, but I found the story to be choppy, contrived and incoherent at times. It was a decent concept. And the big budget (over 100 million) allowed for an authentic look. But the end product left me feeling a bit empty. Coughlin is designed to be a likeable character. But I really didn't connect with him. And the cast of characters surrounding Coughlin felt like throw aways. They were flat characters with minimal development. The plot itself was solid. It had the marking of a great story. But it just didn't gel the way it should have.
I generally like Affleck. But his performance in this film was forgettable. Not so much the acting as the character. I didn't believe the character and I didn't believe Affleck in the role. Neither worked for me. That may be the problem with directing a film you also star in. You have a blind spot for the protagonist. I am a fan of Brendan Gleeson who plays Coughlin's dad. We didn't get enough of him. He was an interesting character to me. There were quite a few other cast members. The only two who stood out with strong performances were Chris Cooper as Chief Figgis, as southern police chief and Zoe Saldana as Graciela, one of Coughlin's love interests. The cast was decent, but Affleck was surprisingly among the weak links.
Live By Night is a bit lengthy at 129 minutes. The uneven pacing made it feel longer, although the action sequences were paced out enough that there were some great battle scenes. This film only netted 10 million of the 100 million the studio shelled out to make it. It didn't last very long in theaters. It was largely panned by critics and only hit 6.4 on IMDb. The film is rated R, largely due to graphic gangster violence. There is also sensuality, nudity and alcohol. It is safe to say that younger audiences should avoid this one. I think I liked it a tad bit more than the critics.
In terms of production quality, Live By Night is a mixed bag. The recreation of the Roaring 20's was detailed. The look of the film seemed consistent. But the pacing and choppiness of the film gave it an uneven texture. The performances were decent, but I wasn't buying off on Ben Affleck or his character. It came up short for me. It lacked depth and credibility. The overall story had an interesting plot, but then the ending whiffed a bit. They could even have left the last ten minutes or so out and still had a decent film. I know they were tying together a loose end, but the film ended up feeling anti-climactic in the end. The action sequences were tighter than the overall story telling. Lots of room for improvement, but still a decent flick. 7/10.
