These are the events of Dennis Leshan's novel of the same name. The film begins with a series of powerful events that speak of a group of individuals and their dealings in organized crime. It is a series of criminal operations that have completely changed the meaning of crime.
That speaks well of Affleck -- the screenwriter -- in demonstrating maturity by offering up more nuanced characters than we generally expect from the average gangster movie. Still, that maturity doesn't mitigate the shortcomings of the film's star.
One of the film's final set pieces is so wonderfully staged that it reminds you what skill Affleck has with the camera. Next time, he should perhaps confine himself behind it.
You can practically feel it straining to become a classic of the genre but in the end, it feels more like Miller's Crossing cosplay than anything else.
A focused and insightful character study, it's not. But reframed as a genre exercise, a pulpy throwback comic book... the film is an absorbing diversion.
And while the story is sprawling, covering a decade, and filled with beautiful settings, costumes, and stars, it just never comes together to be the kind of epic crime drama it's emulating
