LIVE BY NIGHT
Bad people in a bad movie — and an unacceptable worldview.
Should You Watch It?
Live by Night has the makings of an interesting Prohibition-era gangster story, but the film squanders them. The opening and closing action sequences are exciting, and the 1920s sets are fantastic. Still, the second act slows considerably, the prolonged ending hurts the film, and Ben Affleck cannot hold together a character-centered story in the lead role.
The content is far worse than the uneven entertainment. The film features excessive foul language, very strong violence, strong sexual content, moral relativism, revenge, racism, stealing, and a strongly anti-Christian worldview. Its limited moral elements do not redeem the whole.
The practical answer is simple: skip Live by Night.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESSet during Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s, Live by Night follows Joe Coughlin, a war veteran and bank robber in Boston. After a relationship with an Irish mobster’s mistress ends badly, Joe goes to work for the Italian mob in Tampa, Florida.
There, he builds a bootlegging business and looks toward a future beyond Prohibition. But a preacher’s opposition to gambling, Joe’s relationship with a Cuban woman, and the Ku Klux Klan all threaten his plans. The violent life Joe tried to avoid keeps closing in.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means Live by Night has some worthwhile filmmaking but fails overall. The early and final action sequences are exciting, and the 1920s sets are fantastic. The premise is potentially interesting.
The film’s central weakness is its lead performance and character-centered storytelling. Affleck, who excels at plot-driven stories with strong pacing, cannot hold this story together. The second act slows considerably, and the ending goes on too long.
The Worldview
The film’s worldview is mixed but ultimately abhorrent. It presents a gangster who follows virtually no moral code, along with strong moral relativism, racism, revenge, and stealing. Christians are portrayed as fanatics or white supremacists, and the young preacher is presented in an anti-Christian way. The film also includes pagan ideas and the statement that Earth is heaven but humanity has turned it into hell.
A few elements point toward moral consequences. The violent lifestyle ultimately catches up with the main character, and he pays a price for his crimes even after leaving the mob life. A character who is supposed to be Christian says she does not know whether there is a God, but hopes there is and hopes He is kind. The ending is sentimental and says people should make the best of life on earth, but these fragments do not overcome the film’s larger worldview.
The movie’s central moral reality is that violence and crime have consequences. Scripture states, “whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong pagan worldview of immorality, moral relativism, gangster’s following virtually no moral code, with very strong Anti-Christian, anti-biblical statements, including Christians portrayed as fanatics or racists, some light moral elements in that the violent lifestyle ultimately has consequences, implying that we should make the best of our time on earth, and a character, who’s supposed to be a Christian, says she doesn’t know if there’s a God, but she hopes there is, and she hopes He’s kind, plus man blackmails an official regarding a homosexual relationship; more than 64 obscenities (including at least 44 “f” words) and four strong profanities; very strong violence, man is thrown off a building, many people are shot, man is beat and kicked so hard he vomits, man’s throat is slit, man throws a pipe bomb into a full club, a car chase ends with a car accident and police officers dead; moderate sexual content include two brief shots of man having sex with his girlfriend, another more prolonged sex scene shows more skin but no graphic nudity, and discussion about fornication and bestiality; a brief picture of young girl involved in graphic pornography is shown with upper female nudity, women show some cleavage, upper male nudity; moderate drinking, with most of the plot revolving around bootlegging; smoking, with discussion of heroin addiction; and, strong moral relativism, racism, revenge, and stealing.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film shows crime and violence producing consequences. Why does Scripture say people reap what they sow, and where do you see that principle in your own choices?
Galatians 6:7–8 · Romans 6:23The film presents moral relativism alongside serious wrongdoing. Why is it dangerous to decide right and wrong for ourselves?
Isaiah 5:20 · Proverbs 14:12The movie describes Earth as heaven turned into hell. What does Scripture say is wrong with the world, and where does it point us for lasting hope?
Romans 8:20–23 · Revelation 21:1–5The film portrays Christians in deeply distorted ways. How should Christians respond when faith is misrepresented, and what should their lives show instead?
1 Peter 3:15–16 · Matthew 5:16The Final Word
Live by Night has a potentially interesting story, exciting action, and impressive period sets. But its weak character storytelling, prolonged ending, excessive content, and abhorrent worldview make it unacceptable. SKIP IT. For better options, see.
