Warner Bros. has released the first trailer forLive by Night, the fourth directorial effort fromBen Affleckand the filmmakers long-awaited follow-up to 2012’s Best Picture-winning dramatic thrillerArgo. Based on theDennis Lehanenovel of the same name, the film takes place during Prohibition and stars Affleck as Joe Coughlin, the prodigal son of a Boston police captain who works his way up from bootlegger to notorious Florida gangster. Affleck adapted the screenplay himself and recruited Oscar-winningThe Hateful EightandThe AviatorcinematographerRobert Richardsonto serve as his director of photography.
We’ve been waiting to see something fromLive by Nightfor a long while now, but I’m happy to say it seems like it was worth the wait. The trailer promises a film that has style and swagger to spare, though I’m curious to see more from the story to help it stand apart from just another crime drama. The period setting certainly helps to establish the world ofLive by Night, and it conjures up thoughts of similar films likeLawless,Road to Perdition, and evenThe Untouchables, if we had seen that latter film from the perspective ofAl Caponeand his cronies. However audiences ultimately respond to the period drama, it’ll certainly be fun to see Affleck playing a conflicted villain for once. And you’re able to be sure that it’ll be an awards contender, especially since it’s positioned for next year’s ballots thanks to a limited December release.
Watch the firstLive by Nighttrailer below (viaApple). The film also starsZoe Saldana,Elle Fanning,Sienna Miller,Brendan Gleeson,Scott Eastwood,Chris Cooper,Titus Welliver,Anthony Michael Hall, andChris Messina.Live by Nightopens in theaters on July 17, 2025.
Here’s the official synopsis forLive by Night:
“Live by Night” is set in the roaring `20s when Prohibition hasn’t stopped the flow of booze in an underground network of gangster-run speakeasies. The opportunity to gain power and money is there for any man with enough ambition and nerve and Joe Coughlin, the son of the Boston Police Superintendent, long ago turned his back on his strict upbringing for the spoils of being an outlaw. But even among criminals there are rules and Joe breaks a big one: crossing a powerful mob boss by stealing his money and his moll. The fiery affair ends in tragedy, setting Joe on a path of revenge, ambition, romance and betrayal that propels him out of Boston and up the ladder of Tampa’s steamy rum-running underworld.
