In 2017, the fourth directorial work of the multi-talented contemporary filmmaker Ben Affleck came out in the domestic rental. The Live by Night project, called “The Law of the Night” from Russian distributors, is regarded by the film community as a historical excursion into the history of ethnic hatred in the United States, disguised as a dashing gangster crime film about the events of the Prohibition period. The film has an IMDb rating of 6.40 and is not a masterpiece, but it is a good and strong genre production, lively and boring, with many advantages - chic visualization, brilliant casting and enviable dynamics.
Attempt number 2
After shooting the film "The Law of the Night" (USA), actor, screenwriter and director Ben Affleck tried to enter the same river for the second time. His directorial debut took place in 2007, when Affleck ventured to make a film adaptation of Dennis Lihan's novel and shot the film “Farewell, baby, goodbye.” This bold step provided the actor with recognition in the circles of filmmakers and was the beginning of a succession of successful movie dramas. Soon Ben's filmography as director was supplemented by the paintings The City of Thieves and Operation Operation Argo. In Live by Night, Affleck not only played a major role, but also acted as a director, screenwriter, adapter and producer of the project.
Tribute to the classics of the genre
The "Law of the Night" (film 2017), the actors who took part in the production of the tape, characterize as a tribute to the classic gangster films of Warner Bros. studio, created in the period of 30-70s. last century. The script for the film was written by Ben personally, so some reviewers note in the work of the director excessive trust in the literary original. After all, the essence of adaptation is to cut off all that is superfluous in order to create a new whole piece suitable for the cinema format. But the author did not want to sacrifice anything, as a result, his script became similar to the digest of the series, in which many topics and plot branches were deliberately announced, which in the end were not expanded and fully covered. For this oversight of the screenwriter and the film "The Law of the Night", critics criticize the reviews of film critics.
The plot of the nostalgic mafia drama
In the "Law of Night" (2017 film), the actors, realizing the creator's idea, presented the life story of the protagonist Joe Coglin to the audience. The son of a Boston police officer who survived World War I returned home from the battlefield, completely devoid of all illusions. 1920s In this chaotic time, a strong young guy can survive and realize himself in two ways: to defend the law or break it. The protagonist chooses the second. As a result of criminal activity, he has money and a wonderful lover - a burnt blonde heartbreaker. Unfortunately, the girl is at the same time a passion for the local criminal authority, who does not intend to forgive betrayal. As a result of a series of sad events, Joe is forced to change the gloomy Boston to sunny Florida, moving from the position of a petty gangster to the post of dexterous tycoon, who controls the entire gaming business on the East Coast.
The film "The Law of the Night" has a plot that is unlike a proverbial gangster story, relishing Coglin's criminality. At the same time, the film in the plot is not a psychological drama like The Godfather. The plot of the Affleck project is based on the story of the Fall and Atonement.
Ben Affleck as an actor
Ben Affleck “The Law of the Night” not only directed, but also played the role of a key character, although initially the image of Joe Coglin was written under Leonardo DiCaprio, but the performer limited himself to producing the film.
According to the statement of most influential film critics, Affleck was never considered a great dramatic actor and no one expected his breakthrough by the end of the 2000s. The more unexpected for the filmmakers was his tremendous success as a director. The third author’s project of the director - the political thriller Operation Argo was awarded the Oscar. The director successfully combined the responsibilities of the director and the role of the special agent of the CIA Mendes, whose image restarted his acting career. In the movie “Law of the Night,” Ben Affleck, according to the audience, plays tolerably well, but imitates Al Pacino from “The Man with the Scar” too much, so his game looks controversial.
Noble robber
Joe Coglin, according to the basic idea, endowed with a rather courageous texture and meager facial expressions of Affleck, is almost likened to Robin Hood, who creates robbery in the name of a good goal. Such an almost perfect, respectable gangster will surely cause delight in the hearts of fans of the actor, but will leave indifferent those who are not impressed by Ben's monumental charisma. To all of this, the main character throughout the entire timing of the tape is not injured by batons, bullets are not injured, and even a car accident leaves Joe with only a few scratches. Such invulnerability, traditionally inherent in superheroes, does not add realism to the story.
One of the main advantages of the picture
If the protagonist of the film became the subject of heated debate and debate, then the secondary characters were unanimously called almost the main component of the success of the picture. The endlessly dispossessing policeman father Thomas, performed by the brilliant Brendan Gleason, the cynical mischievous mistress Emma, embodied on the screen by Sienna Miller, the wise Cuban beauty played by Zoe Saldana, the unfortunate victim of the circumstances of Loretta, into whom El Fanning reincarnated, and the enchanting madman Ku Klux Klan, in the role of which Matthew Meher appeared - unique and colorful characters. The "Law of the Night" (2017 film) the actors listed above were pulled to a high level.
Especially enthusiastic Ben Affleck spoke about Chris Messina, who played the role of Dion Bartolo. Ben met this artist while working on the production of Operation Argo and considers him to be very talented, responsible, and efficient.
Female characters are worth its weight in gold
According to the professional assessment of cinema experts, female characters in the “Law of the Night” (2017 film) male actors could not overshadow their skill.
The British-American model and actress Sienna Miller (“Cobra Throw”, “Black Mass”) is almost unrecognizable in the image of an arrogant profursetki, many stars of the first magnitude could envy her skill in transforming.
The role of the woman - the dreams of the protagonist, possessing not only an attractive appearance, but also enviable wisdom, was perfectly successful by the radiant exotic beauty of Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Colombian, Guardians of the Galaxy).
But the biggest author’s surprise was the drug addict heading the sect, Loretta Figgis. El Fanning (Maleficent, Neon Demon) brilliantly coped with the role of a controversial character. The younger sister of Dakota Fanning managed to make a lasting impression on the watchers, although she appeared in only a couple of episodes. The young actress plays truly unmatched.
All the heroines of the film, thanks to the professionalism of their performers, fill a fairly standard story with life, cause a flurry of strong emotions in the viewer.