Live by Night

Ben Affleck does quadruple duty as director, writer, producer and star in "Live By Night" - his forth film as director, and his first since the oscar-winning "Argo". But this one kinda comes unstuck - possibly because it's an attempt to do an old-fashioned epic gangster story, but it's one that struggles to come to life. The problem may be the overly-epic scope - much of the first twenty minutes or so, set in Boston, is a bit of a mess (Affleck feels a bit too old to play the naive young man caught between a gang-leader and his moll, and Sienna Miller as the moll doesn't entirely land as a force of fascination for two men). The film doesn't really come alive until the action relocates to Florida where Affleck gets caught up in rum-running and in setting up gang activities in a state dominated by the KKK and a hatred of both Irish (which he is) and Italians (which he's working for). 

There are a few moments of light - Zoe Saldana is a gorgeous presence as his eventual love interest, and Elle Fanning has some great scenes as the born-again Christian who frustrates his casino plan, plus Max Casella is an entertaining weasel. But the ending brings back a lot of the Boston elements in a way that doesn't feel like it's showing the film to best advantage - and in general, this never really finds a point to focus on - Affleck isn't dynamic enough to centre the film. It's a nice looking film with a period sheen, but that isn't quite enough to recommend it.