Live by Night

Ben Affleck wrote, directed, produced and starred in this 2016 American gangster film, adapted from Dennis Lehane's 2012 novel of the same name. Its central figure, Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck), is an Irish-American veteran of World War I whose father was a Boston police captain, and Prohibition draws him into crime. Initially engaging in robberies, Joe is betrayed and imprisoned, after which he relocates to Florida, becoming a powerful bootlegger in Tampa's Ybor City. He faces numerous challenges, including confrontations with the Ku Klux Klan, conflicts with rival gangsters, and internal moral struggles. The film also explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption. The cast includes Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Cooper. The film premiered in New York City on December 13, 2016, and was widely released on January 13, 2017. Despite its star-studded cast and high production costs, the film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, grossing approximately $22 million against a net budget of $65 million.