Review of Live by Night (2016) by Danny L — 12 Feb 2017

Affleck has proven he has directorial talent but, in the case of the gangster genre, he fails miserably. As such, before he ever is allowed to tackle mobster cinema again, he should be required to study the films of Francis Coppola, for at least 1000 hours or more.

You see, the best gangster movies incorporate many shades of grey into their plots, they are not cut and dry in their interpretations. Affleck needs to develop the skill of circumspection because, although he has demonstrated past prowess in cinematic manipulation, he seems to be both a petulant hothead and an intellectual lightweight when it comes to deciphering and revealing life's myriad complexities.

In any case, Affleck is still relatively young, so one would expect he will blunder occasionally in his ongoing evolution. But no reason for the audience to have to suffer those egregious missteps and this film is to be avoided like the plague for anybody who values time and money.