6. “Argo” (2012)
It’s possible that the kind of ambivalence that a lot of people seem to have toward Affleck, outside of any one of his films or any one of his various careers within the industry, extends also to Hollywood insiders — how else can we account for the fact that “Argo” could pick up 7 Oscar nominations and win 3, including Best Picture, without a nod for Affleck as Best Director? For context, the only other time that has happened in the modern era was with the now-ridiculed Best Picture win for “Driving Miss Daisy” which did not have a corresponding nod for director Bruce Beresford. However it came about, it certainly seems unfair (“Argo” is, at the very least, better than “Driving Miss Daisy”), especially as in being such an ensemble drama, and a loose recreation of real-life events, “Argo” is arguably more a writer-and-director’s film than anything else, and it did win a Screenplay Oscar. Perhaps it might be that again the relative invisibility of Affleck’s directorial style counted against it (especially when you consider that director Ang Lee won the statue for his CG-heavy parable “Life of Pi“) but “Argo,” while it may not be the most faithful or accurate of true-life stories, is a complex tale of spy-jinks and moviemaking told entertainingly well.
5. “State of Play” (2009)
Maybe because the 6-part BBC series on which it was based proved too high a bar to clear, or maybe because its rather generic title failed to drum up much interest, Kevin MacDonald‘s sleek, grown-up political thriller got a raw deal at the box office and has been largely forgotten since. But that’s a shame, since it boasts a cornucopia of good stuff: Russell Crowe on charmingly rumpled form as the veteran journalist whose small store of faith is again tested; Rachel McAdams as the bright-eyed cub reporter who somewhat restores it; Helen Mirren as the flinty-but-fair editor of the newspaper;Robin Wright, pre-empting her “wife of a Washington power player” role in “House of Cards” by some years and Affleck, as the power player in question. Again cannily cast as the senator who devolves in our sympathies from decent guy who is cheating on his wife, to all-out corrupt liar to potential murderer, Affleck again shines when he’s put in the role of the tarnished golden boy, and here that characterization is given extra edge by the contrast, both physical and moral, between him and his old friend, played by Crowe.
4. “The Town” (2010)
Affleck’s three directorial features so far have proven he’s a very solid presence behind the camera as well as in front — showing a similar kind of unfussy, intelligence in his approach to fellow actor-turned filmmaker Clint Eastwood. And if anything, we think his debut “Gone Baby Gone” might have actually been his best so far, though without him starring in it, it is outside the purview of this list. However his second film, in which he does take double duty, directing himself as the lead character, is almost as strong. “The Town,” less a heist movie than an aftermath-of-heist movie boasts a terrific cast that Affleck knows how to get the best out of: Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Jon Hamm, Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite. Surrounded by all of them, he also turns in a typically understated lead performance as the conflicted, morally troubled gang leader who falls for one of his hostages, lending the whole film a kind of melancholic texture it’s hard to see many other leading men bring.
