Ben Affleck has directed some big movies since he made a name for himself in 1997 with the touching drama Good Will Hunting. Alongside his long-time friend and co-star, Matt Damon, Affleck wrote the script for Good Will Hunting as an attempt to create his own entry point into Hollywood – and it worked. The movie went on to win two Oscars, including Best Writing for the two breakout stars.
After the success of Good Will Hunting, Affleck was soon catapulted into new realms of fame. He went on to star opposite Hollywood titan Bruce Willis in 1998’s Armageddon, and took a leading role in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor. After Affleck proved himself as an actor, he set his sights on directing. He has since gone on to helm a number of critically-acclaimed movies that have showcased him as a top director. Here’s every Ben Affleck-directed movie ranked from worst to best.
5. Live By Night (2016)
By the time Live By Night was released in 2016, Affleck had already proven himself as a solid directing talent in Hollywood. Gathering such strong praise from his previous directorial efforts placed a lot of pressure on Affleck. That pressure may have got to him slightly as, while the movie has its impressive moments, it struggles to find its feet as it attempts to balance a nuanced range of themes.
Live By Night follows a group of gangsters from Boston who set up shop in Florida during the Prohibition era. Upon arrival, they soon face off against dangerous competition and the Ku Klux Klan. Affleck is a proud Bostonian, and his home city is a reemerging backdrop for his movies. However, it was Live By Night that made Affleck change direction in his next directorial effort, as he did not want to be known as the “Boston crime guy” anymore. While the movie has some solid drama and exciting action scenes, its loss of steam feels like a direct result of Affleck feeling ready to bid farewell to Boston crime movies.
4. Argo (2012)
Argo is arguably Ben Affleck’s most revered movie by critics and was his first film to deal with real-life events. The story follows a CIA agent who launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979. Affleck plays the lead role of Tony Mendez in the picture, a real-life CIA figure who assumed the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film to extract the hostages.
Argo served as Affleck’s most poignant movie to date, shining light on a matter that had since found shade. He delivered a solid performance in the lead role and won his second Oscar when the film won Best Picture at the 2013 Academy Awards. Argo boasted a stellar supporting cast including Alan Arkin, John Goodman, and Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston.
3. Air (2023)
Air marks the ninth time Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have starred in a movie together. It also marks the first time Affleck has directed Damon in a motion picture. The sports drama follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Damon), and depicts his spearheading of Nike’s pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan. After so many collaborations between Affleck and Damon, 2023’s Air stands out as one of their best chemistry-driven pictures.
Affleck’s choice to not feature Michael Jordan’s character in the movie only serves the film well. Instead, the focus is shifted to the people behind the scenes that the public never got a chance to know. Affleck delivers a stellar performance and manages to pull one of Damon’s finest dramatic performances of his career. Upon its release, Air quickly started to generate Oscar buzz as a leading contender for the 2024 Academy Awards. So, it’s fair to speculate that Affleck’s Air could see himself and Damon collecting a couple more gold statues in 2024.
2. The Town (2010)
The Town marked Ben Affleck’s second directorial effort. The story of a small group of armoured car thieves in Boston ages finely with each passing year, standing tall next to heist classics like Michael Mann’s Heat, and John Frankenheimer’s Ronin. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, a professional thief who has a change of heart when he falls in love with a witness to his gang’s latest robbery.
The Town served as the first time Affleck had directed himself in a movie and the massive challenge really showcased his abilities to do so. As well as delivering a stellar lead performance, Affleck directed Jeremy Renner to an Oscar nomination for his portrayal as the unhinged criminal, James Coughlin. The Town put Affleck on the map as a director to watch out for and proved he was on a clear path to cement himself as top level filmmaker as well as actor.
1. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Gone Baby Gone was Ben Affleck’s first feature movie as a director, and the haunting drama set the bar high for Affleck to follow thereafter. Affleck directed his younger brother, Casey Affleck, in a career-defining role that set him on a path for success. The movie follows two private detectives in Boston who are hired to investigate a little girl’s kidnapping, ultimately leading to a crisis for the two partners both professionally and personally.
Affleck handled the delicate subject matter masterfully, balancing sheer dread and mystery. Teaming with the original author of the book, Dennis Lehane, the two crafted a complex story that places the audience in their own moral dilemma by the end of the film. With so many eyes on Ben Affleck as he embarked into unfamiliar territory, Gone Baby Gone truly set him up for bigger pictures subsequently. While he has gone on to continued success, Affleck is yet to top his directorial debut, which only speaks volumes for the caliber of the movie.
Follow Us
