Not every role feels fleshed-out, and the pacing puts the viewer at a distance, but there are several moments of greatness along the way, including a superb final gun battle and one helluva Model T car chase.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 5, 2022

There's nothing inherently wrong with Ben Affleck's warmed-over plate of gangland goulash, but there's also little that's fresh.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 17, 2021

'Live By Night' is a great American epic stuck inside a misguided movie.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Jun 3, 2021

It's a literary stew of themes, held together by the violence and pulpier aspects of the movie.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 28, 2021

The editing ruins much of the excitement mustered by the long-awaited showdown, as it refuses to simply wrap things up.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Dec 5, 2020

If Affleck considers himself the martyr of this production, that level of sacrifice was both unnecessary and entirely avoidable.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 23, 2020

It's hard to imagine word-of-mouth is going to help build the buzz.

| Original Score: 2.0/4.0 | Sep 14, 2020

Affleck has created a fantasy version of the gangster (a slightly more down to earth superhero) as the righter of the world's wrongs.

| Aug 17, 2020

In some ways, this film is a leap ahead for Affleck - it is his most visually impressive. Perhaps he should go back to original screenwriting, rather than adapting, next time and see if he can reach the dizzy heights of Good Will Hunting once more.

| Jul 12, 2020

Affleck continues to showcase his talents as a director. The film is slick and stylish, with some great individual shots and scenes ... Unfortunately, his skill behind the camera can't fix the averageness of the plot.

| Jul 3, 2020

It's a measured, leisurely stroll through an outlaw's life that puts more value on character development than slinging lead.

| May 1, 2020

It's more concerned with flattering our modern sensibility than truly plunging us into the mores of the 1920s.

| Apr 6, 2020

Ben Affleck's really weird gangster film is a dud.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 24, 2020

There are morsels of pleasure to be found here and there... No, it's not garbage. It's just a formless affair that feels destined to be relegated to the 2 and a half star pile on Netflix. It's a shame.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 30, 2019

Costume design, ambiance, production design and photography are magnificent, but what really draws attention is Affleck's visual ability, much more ambitious than the rest of his filmography. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Aug 16, 2019

Let no one call Live By Night unwatchable. Instead, let it be shown to every douchey, arrogant white filmmaker dude itching to ape Scorsese without putting in the work or possessing the talent.

| Original Score: F- | Jun 25, 2019

It is quite disappointing that [Affleck's] latest project, Live by Night, fails to deliver anything interesting, compelling, or original.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 22, 2019

Live by Night is a hubristic endeavour from a filmmaker who should have known better.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 9, 2019

Live By Night suffers for trying to do too much. Even with a running time over two hours, it manages to feel overstuffed; one suspects that Affleck the writer got hung up on trying to preserve too much of the source material.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Feb 13, 2019

At its best, Live by Night recalls other gangster flicks like Road to Perdition, Carlito's Way, and The Untouchables, but it fails to sustain their level of gravitas.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 7, 2018