Live by Night is not terrible, but it’s not worth great either
Gangster films have been a part of Hollywood for a long time. They deal with a kinds of situations and moments in history. There have been a number of iterations recently, but they have been hit or miss. Ben Affleck wants to change that. His new film Live by Night tells a story about a man who wants to be a success and is willing to do almost anything to get it. I was able to see it this week and here is what I thought of it.
You can read the plot for Live by Night here:
It’s the Roaring `20s and Prohibition hasn’t stopped the flow of booze in an underground network of gangster-run speakeasies. The opportunity to gain power and money is there for any man with enough ambition and nerve, and Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck), the son of the Boston Police superintendent, long ago turned his back on his strict upbringing for the spoils of being an outlaw. But even among criminals there are rules, and Joe breaks a big one: crossing a powerful mob boss by stealing his money and his moll.
Live by Night has some good moments, but not enough to make this a great movie. It has a stellar cast, and takes audiences on a ride to an interesting time in American history. There is drama, action, death and lots of crazy situations. Too much at times to make sense to some people. What really irked me though had to be the final moments. Things happen that not only make no sense, but were entirely unnecessary. Overall an okay film but not one you need to run out and see. If you want to learn more about Live by Night check this website out.
Live by Night gets 5/10. It was not a film I hated, but I didn’t love it either. I never got bored watching this film, but towards the end it drags on and things happen that don’t make a ton of sense. I wouldn’t say avoid this film, but it definitely won’t be for everybody.
Live by Night is out now. You can follow Live by Night on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.