Keep It Reel: 'Live By Night'

By Marc Woodfork

"Live By Night", written and directed by Ben Affleck, tells the story of a World War One veteran who returns home from the war and gets mixed up in the underworld of 1920's prohibition crime.

Affleck's character, Joe Coughlin, is the son of Irish immigrants who unwittingly gets involved in the gangland conflicts between the Irish and Italians. Those who are fans of the gangster genre will surely get into the style and violence this film offers up. Affleck does have presence and portrays his character well.

The film's biggest triumph lies in its direction from Affleck. He builds a wonderfully looking film, with all the elements of that era beautifully portrayed. The story tends to be a bit convoluted in parts, and as a viewer you're not sure if you should root for or necessarily like any of the characters.

Affleck should've brought as much passion to all of his characters as he did to the look of the film. Affleck has shown with this and his past directorial efforts that he can tell a story, he needs to focus on memorable characters.