As you guys know from my previous Screen Rant post about The Accountant that I’m an Affleck guy. He’s a guys guy that just wants to make good movies that usually somehow pertain to Boston. Nothing wrong with that. But this time maybe I’m wondering if I can only take a new movie of his in doses. The Accountant came out not to long ago so I feel like I might be too Affleck’ed in this very moment but none the less, I had to go see the next Benny Boston’s directed movie, Live By Night.
This one was an interesting one. I’ll say off the bat it’s not bad but its not great. I feel like there might be a little bit of a Netflix syndrome with me but I feel like a story like this should be done in episodes just because its kind of this long saga condensed into one movie. That or just start the movie at a different place. I mean when I walked into it, I thought it was a Prohibition gangster movie in Boston, then it was a romance story, then for 5 minutes it was a revenge plot that went away for just about the rest of the film, then its a smuggling ring in Ybor city near Tampa mixed with a little love plot, then its a Rivalry story with the KKK and then finally it comes back around to the revenge story line. Just seems like a lot of different stories wrapped up in one movie done only good, not great. I will say the pacing and cinematography is on point. Always has a strong action beat where i never was bored. But the story and depth was just missing a little bit because they had to got through a lot of story in a 2 hour time span. IMDB so far has it at 6.8 which doesn’t seem off but it feels like a very unjustified 6.8. Its not Affleck’s best but definitely shouldn’t be a 6.8. I bump it to a 7.00 nothing more nothing less. The Accountant got a 7.4 and that’s about an idiot savant accountant dropping 50 cal bullets on a dime. That premise alone you wouldn’t think is worth anything over 7 compared to the generally well received typical Mob 20’s era movie. I give it a 7. Great number, great name.
The Classic Ben Affleck Ending
I’ve determined that my measure on if I like a Ban Affleck movie comes down to the end. So far all my favorite Affleck movies has him ending a very specific way. Where he doesn’t end up with someone he truly cares about but knows in the end he’s doing the right thing and that makes him happy and he gives a slight smile. That’s the signature Affleck moment and it happens all the time in the best and classic Affleck films.
When a young Holden realizes he was wrong and was the reason his relationship ended with with Alyssa but is in the end happy for her even though he knows they probably wont get back together.
In Good Will Hunting when his goofy teenage looking self realizes he lost his best friend meant he listened to his advice to succeed in life and not be some southie low life.
When Capt. Rafe McCawley loses his best friend since childhood, Capt. Danny Walker, in the Doolittle raid to bomb japan in retaliations to one of the worst attacks in US history. Yea they had a rocky falling out when they were intertwined in a love triangle with Kate Backinsale but it was really complicated. They squashed that beef when they decided they needed to enact revenge for Pearl Harbor, but when Danny dies in combat, Rafe makes damn sure he did right by Danny by taking care the loves of his life, his son and wife. (this one makes me cry every time and you don’t then fuck you.)
When it was time for Doug MacRay to finally leave bean town behind, his life of crime behind, and unfortunately the love of his life behind. For their safety he just couldn’t be with her, because he knows he has to pay for the things he’s done. Be he knows he’ll see her again one day, this side or the other.
The time when Tony Mendez misses out on his family time with his kid even though ultimately it was his chidrens toys and movies which spawned a genius plan to rescue 6 U.S. Diplomats from the hostile city of Tehran under the guise as a Canadian film crew planning on filming a sci-fi epic using Iran has a location for the shoot. I don’t remember if the whole missing his family thing was a huge part or not so maybe this only half counts? But then again rescuing 6 U.S. Diplomats should count like 3 times as much so this fully counts.
The time when Christian Wolff keeps Anna Kendricks out of harms way because she is genuinely one of the first person in the world that Christian, a high functioning autistic savant accountant that’s trained in hand to hand combat and martial arts along with proficiency with every known firearm, has ever made a connection with. Must be hard to let someone go when she might be your only true friend that gets you, but he knows he did the right thing by moving on. Oh and he gives her like a 10 million dollar painting .
Well add Live By Night to the list with an asterisk next to it. The movie suffers from a lack of deep connection between a lot of the characters. Mainly, spoilers, his wife who dies, but there’s no real deep connection between the two on screen. It’s just kind of an assumed love. Huge miss there. I had a deep connection all these other times. I mean Doug MacCray and his 1st true love that changed him, his best genius friend who would’ve spent his whole life pounding rocks with him, his best friend that died in combat. All have a very strong impact that give that quintessential Affleck moment all worth it. This one is there but it’s just a bit lacking. probably the weakest of the group.
Saying the Title of the Movie within the Movie
Not sure if i just missed it or they didn’t say it but they teased the shit out of it. I wanted that Peter Griffin moment of joy when they say it. I get in some movies they wont. I don’t think they said it in The Town, but he kinda gave me blue balls when there was the conversation between Afflecks character and the girl he was in love with when she says “we could sleep by day…..” and then I’m pretty sure they just stop talking and giggle. What the fuck man? If you’re not gonna have that moment in the movie that’s fine, but to bring my dick to the point where I’m about to cum and then stop stroking and give me blue balls while you giggle and talk is just plain wrong.
IMDB Commenters
Of all the places to walk out why would you walk out on the KKK part? When it came up I had completely forgotten KKK was even involved in this movie so Ben just walking out to 3 grand wizard dragon fools burning a cross in front of his bar was a little bit of a shock to the system. And once you found out the KKK leader was an annoying motherfucker you just wanted to see him get his shit axed. How do you walk out on that?
Can confirm, No affleck cock scene.
Hey Marktarnovetsky, you watch your fucking mouth. The Town was awesome.
Scott Eastwood was not in this movie, Trayoder.
The Ugly Orange 