Ben Affleck is a man of many talents. We were all introduced
to Ben Affleck as an actor. Going all the way back to School Ties and Dazed and
Confused, Affleck has been in our pop culture lexicon. Then, in 1995, we
learned of his brilliant talents as a writer when he won his first Academy
Award as a screenwriter (alongside frequent collaborator and friend Matt Damon)
for Good Will Hunting (at least those
of us who believed he really did co-write that script learned that). Then, in
2007, when Affleck released his first directorial feature, Gone Baby Gone, (which he also wrote) we all learned that Good Will Hunting was no fluke.
Today, Affleck is, without question, a superstar director.
With the recent release of Live By Night,
he has directed four feature films. Three of these were massively critically
acclaimed, and one which reached the absolute zenith by winning the Academy
Award for Best Picture. Even the mixed reviews given to Live By Night represent a respect for Affleck’s directorial vision.
