‘Live by Night’ shows strength in storytelling

By Arbogast, Brandon, February 8, 2017

By Dan Yackman// Staff Writer

At first glance, “Live by Night” gives the impression of the typical gangster film we see so often. Ben Affleck takes another dive into the crime and drama genre, directing the story of Joe Coughlin, a penny theft turned bootlegger in the midst of prohibition. “The Town,” Affleck’s previous work from 2010, had done incredibly well in the box office, earning $154 million. Given the praise the film had acquired, it is no surprise that movie goers held “Live by Night” to similar standards. Though the cast is not quite as strong as expected for an Affleck film, he enlists the help of Leonardo DiCaprio to work alongside him as a producer, and the two made for a pleasant but unusual duo.

At its core, “Live by Night” executes a powerful tale of character development from beginning to end and does a successful job of tying up loose ends. Perhaps my biggest problem with this film is the surplus of characters, even introducing some where they were unnecessary. For the entire duration of the film, characters playing key roles are repeatedly taken in and out of the story, making it difficult to follow.

The film opens with the scene of a hold up of a card game. Joe Coughlin and his crew are looking to make easy money anyway they can, but rising frustrations with the Irish and Italian mob eventually leads Joe into a situation he cannot easily get out of. Of course, romance has its own place in this story, and Joe makes the unforgivable mistake of messing around with the girlfriend of Albert White, head of the Irish mob in Boston. The two lovers are eventually separated by Albert, and Joe barely walks away from the mob with his life. His past as a thief catches up with him, and a shortened prison sentence is enough to convince Joe Coughlin to leave Boston behind and start anew. An old friend, Dion Bartolo, gives Joe an opportunity bootlegging liquor in Florida for the Italian mob. Their dominance within the prohibition era is met with strong opposition from the Ku Klux Klan, and Joe finds himself in an uncomfortable position of power.

What I enjoyed most about this film was its incredible strength in story telling. “Live by Night” is a tale of morality and ethics, pushing the boundaries of what an audience can take away from a gangster flick rather than the traditional gunplay and violence. Viewers seeking action will not be disappointed but rather pleasantly surprised to what they may walk away with from this movie. These are the thrilling qualities that draw most viewers into a film such as this, but the consequences of actions and self reflection that linger in the background leave the audience feeling differently as they exit the theater. This is not another brainless action film; the underlying message it sends out is too strong to ignore. “Live by Night” has been pushed to the backburner by most due to the fact that it debuted alongside “Patriot’s Day,” and entered cinemas at a time where “La La Land” and “Rogue One” have been dominating the box office. “Live by Night” picks up where Ben Affleck left off with “The Town,” and fires on all cylinders in terms of what a drama and thriller should consist of.