Live by Night 2016

     This film is based on a 400-page book by Dennis Lehane.  The setting in the beginning of this film is Boston, Massachusetts of 1926.  Prohibition has created an endless network of underground distilleries, speakeasies, gangsters and corrupt policemen.  Joe Coughlin is the youngest son of a Boston police captain.  Joe is as different from his father as he can be.  He started out with petty theft and now he is working for one of the most fearsome mobsters in Boston.  He likes the life of an outlaw and he likes robberies but the getaways are getting more difficult.  Later, he moves to Florida and sets up operations in this area.

     There are many times when I couldn’t hear or understand the dialog?  This film goes on too long with repetitive scenes?  There are a LOT of understandings between the criminals and the police.  There are a LOT of payoffs to get things going and keep them moving.  If you are not willing to play along, you will have a short life!!  Money and power mean everything.  The men can be working for one boss one day and a boss on the other side the next day.  I liked the cars, clothing, mannerisms and hairstyles of this time period.  3* (This movie is OK)

129 min, Crime directed by Ben Affleck with Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Affleck, Remo Girone, Robert Glenister, Matthew Maher, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Miguel, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 34% critic 43% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 3.5* out of 5* with 240 reviews, Rolling Stone 3* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Brunswick, Savannah, Georgia; North Andover, Lawrence, Boston, Massachusetts; Pasadena, Universal City, Los Angeles, California.  Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Coughlin but he decided to produce instead.  Cinematographer Robert Richardson wanted to use the Ultra Panavision 70 but it was rented for use on Rogue One of 2016.  The film was delayed because Affleck was filming Gone Girl of 2014.  For the first two weeks of release, this film was shown in 2,822 theatres but with the biggest drop in history, 2,659 theatres stopped screening and only 163 theatres were left.  Jennifer Lawrence and Lindsay Lohan were considered for the role played by Elle Fanning.  There is another film with the same title released in 1948.  Dennis Lehane also wrote Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River and Shutter Island.