Review of Live by Night (2016) by Brock B — 25 Jan 2017

TL;DR: Long, lacks focus, and leaves the audience apathetic about characters.

Live by night, a prohibition piece adapted, produced, directed, and starring Ben Affleck, is based on a novel by the same name. Where it succeeds in bringing the era to an under-utilized location (Florida), it lacks in translating the depth of a novel to the big screen.

Following the life of Joe Coughlin (Affleck) after WW1, the film tries to over-ambitiously cram over a decade of events and character milestones into just over two hours. This does not always flow so graciously as at least twice it jumps a span of years in a single sentence allowing a disconnect for the viewer.

Over the long timeline, many characters are introduced, quickly forgotten, lack development, and are generally emotionless (including and perhaps most notably, Affleck). The lack of range and occasional forced dialogue leaves the audience unable to empathize with the characters even in the most shocking of scenes.

As Live by Night tries to summarize the depth of a period piece, it unfortunately misses the mark.