Ben Affleck Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked"-a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted superlatives and accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Ben Affleck-whose latest project "Deep Water" arrives on Hulu this Friday. 

(Note: I'm excluding Gone Baby Gone from this list since he didn't act in it)

Ben Affleck's Filmography Ranked:

28.Pearl Harbor (D-)

27.Surviving Christmas (D+)

26.Armageddon (C-)

25.Daredevil (C)

24.State of Play (C+)

23.Dazed and Confused (B-)

22.The Tender Bar (B-)

21.Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (B-)

20.The Accountant (B-)

19.Chasing Amy (B-)

18.Runner Runner (B)

17.Justice League (B)

16.Changing Lanes (B)

15.Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (B)

14.Zack Snyder's Justice League (B)

13.Boiler Room (B)

12.Live by Night (B+)

11.The Way Back (B+)

10.Mallrats (B+)

9.Triple Frontier (B+)

8.Extract (B+)

7.Argo (B+)

6.Dogma (A-)

5.The Last Duel (A-)

4.Smokin' Aces (A)

3.The Town (A)

2.Good Will Hunting (A)

1.Gone Girl (A)

Top Dog: Gone Girl (2014)

By combining brutally honest, multi-faceted social satire with the mind games of an over-the-top psychological thriller and populating this genre-bending cocktail with a collection of despicable yet fascinating characters that are brought to life in all their ugly glory by a cast (Rosamund Pike, Affleck, Carrie Coon, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, Casey Wilson) that fearlessly leans into every twisted turn this story takes, Gillian Flynn and David Fincher were able to craft a hilarious, maddening and immensely compelling masterpiece that established a new high bar for modern thrillers.

Lowlight: Pearl Harbor (2001)

Affleck's initial years as a true movie star saw him take on his share of questionable gigs, but nothing from that shaky period in his career (that I've seen at least) comes anywhere near the baffling disaster that was Pearl Harbor. Basing an epic romantic melodrama around the attack on Pearl Harbor was just a misguided decision that left a stain on the resume of everyone that was involved with it that still hasn't washed away after 20+ years. 

Most Underrated: Triple Frontier (2019)

This seemingly forgotten gem from J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year, Margin Call) marked one of the first times that Netflix put together a blockbuster movie that truly rivaled the quality of a big screen product. Triple Frontier is a uniquely grounded twist on the heist genre that takes into account that the robbers (Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund) haven't worked together in a very long time and the rust and reopening of the cracks in their relationships that drove them apart years earlier adds another layer of tension and emotion to the organically tense caper that takes up the final hour of the film.      

Most Overrated: Dazed and Confused (1993)

Dazed and Confused was so widely celebrated at my high school that you would've thought I graduated in the mid 90's when it first ascended to cult status. Naturally, hearing all this praise led me to seek it out and the end result was me not sharing the enthusiasm my classmates had for it. As gifted of a filmmaker as Richard Linklater is, a stoner comedy just really isn't in his wheelhouse. The characters here aren't overly likeable and his dry sense of humor isn't a great fit for a genre that traditionally relies on goofy, good-natured stupidity to get laughs.  

Biggest 2021 Awards Season Snub: The Last Duel (2021)

Now that I've seen basically everything from 2021 that's up for awards, I feel stronger than ever in my stance that The Last Duel got completely fucking hosed by the movie industry people from around the globe that vote for these honors. Jodie Comer turned in a better performance than any of the women that are actually up for Best Actress at the Oscars, the writing and directing are terrific and the blunt delivery of its messaging surrounding the societal treatment of women that have been sexually assaulted is chillingly effective.  

Affleck Directorial Effort That Only Me and a Dozen Other People Seem to Enjoy: Live by Night (2016)

While it definitely lags out of the gate and isn't as polished or focused as the previous films Affleck directed, Live by Night is a brutal, melancholic gangster saga that is anchored by a strong cast (Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, Elle Fanning, Chris Messina, Remo Girone, Brendon Gleeson, Sienna Miller, Titus Welliver, Max Casella) gorgeous cinematography from Robert Richardson and a couple of really terrific action setpieces (a car chase and a climactic shootout).