Live By Night (2016/Warner Blu-ray)

Picture: B+ Sound: A- Extras: B Film: B

Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort, Live By Night, is a beautifully crafted Gangster film set in the roaring '20s. At times action packed and other times slow and dramatic, the film seems to shift tones several times throughout, creating an uneasy R-rated narrative full of period car chases, bloody shootouts, KKK confrontations, and steamy sex scenes. Lensed by renowned cinematographer Robert Richardson (JFK, The Aviator, Hateful Eight), the film is gorgeous to look at which is good as it sometimes distracts from the script's duller moments.

The A-list supporting cast includes Elle Fanning (Neon Demon), Chris Messina (The Mindy Project), Sienna Miller (American Sniper), Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Oscar winner Chris Cooper (The Town). Other cast members include Max Casella, (Inside Llewyn Davis), J.D. Evermore (Dallas Buyers Club), Remo Girone (Heaven), Robert Glenister (Persuasion), Anthony Michael Hall (Foxcatcher), Matthew Maher (Gone Baby Gone), Miguel J. Pimentel, Chris Sullivan (The Drop) and Titus Welliver (The Town).

Joe Coughlin (Affleck) is a man that isn't afraid of pulling the trigger. Having survived the war (WWI), being the son of a policeman, and alive in the height of the Prohibition era, Coughlin is caught between both the Italian and Irish crime war, while falling in love with a crook and later in life, with a respectable woman. Along the way, he climbs the latter of organized crime coming across several colorful characters along the way, all that threaten to pull him down from the top.

Presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1, the look looks gorgeous on disc and is definitely a candidate for 4K UHD in the near future. The colors are nicely saturated and contrasty, giving a strong cinematic feel. The audio is really impressive though, with a powerful Dolby Atmos track that isn't to be beat and additional tracks in lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), you'll be sure to give your home theater surround sound a workout. The score by Harry Gregson Williams is also worth mentioning and is nicely layers in the mix under the mass amounts of sound effects, creating a very clean presentation. Also included is a digital UV copy of the film.

Special Features:

- Angels with Dirty Faces: The Women of Live By Night

- The Men of Live By Night

- Live By Night's Prolific Author

- In Close Up: Creating a Classic Car Chase

- Deleted Scenes

- Deleted Scenes Commentary

- Director's Commentary

While at times a bit confusing in its shifts of narrative storytelling, Live By Night is a beautiful looking film with a strong cast that is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Affleck and the Prohibition era.

- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/