Film Review: Live By Night

There’s always an air of narcissism about directors who give themselves the starring role in their film, and this self-indulgence is ultimately the failing of Ben Affleck’s gangster flick Live By Night. Affleck – who also adapted the screenplay from Dennis Lehane’s novel – plays Joe Coughlin, a young robber in Prohibition Boston having an affair with the Irish mob boss’ girlfriend, Emma Gould (Sienna Miller, trying her best with the Cork accent).

When a betrayal leaves him friendless and on the run, Coughlin takes refuge in the Italian mob, who send him to Tampa to manage a rum-running business. There, he falls for a Cuban club proprietor (Zoe Saldana) and discovers that his main enemy may be not be other gangs, but an influential young preacher, Loretta (Elle Fanning). A failed starlet and former drug addict, Loretta is now promoting a God-fearing, vice-free lifestyle at odds with Coughlin’s business.

The opening act has a melodramatic charm, as Affleck’s young and dumb stickup man falls prey to tainted love, car chases and the judgement of his policeman father (Brendan Gleeson). The move from the cold streets of Boston to the swampy sensuality of Tampa is a visual treat, with shiny automobiles weaving through dusty streets and Cuban music spilling from kaleidoscopically coloured speakeasies.

However, Live By Night is so convinced of Coughlin’s charisma and goodness that it eschews moral complexity and compelling narratives for unearned worship. Coughlin is violently obsessed with power and money but is still, we are repeatedly told, a good man. Female characters are relegated to giggling at his strong, inexpressive jawline. The Klu Klux Klan appear solely so Coughlin can feel good about himself for not working with them. And Affleck’s exposition-filled voiceover adds yet another layer of self-indulgence to this sluggishly paced film, whose motto is “tell, don’t show”.