Ben Affleck has the career that just won’t quit, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t admire him for it. After getting his start in tiny roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and School Ties, the Boston actor finally co-wrote a calling card with his childhood friend Matt Damon in 1997, earning them both an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and a first class ticket to acting stardom.
But since then it’s been a rocky road for Affleck, who took a series of largely conventional thriller roles and eventually earned a reputation as a hack before finally reversing his fortunes, once again, by returning behind the camera. As the director of an Oscar-winning thriller, Ben Affleck went from a Hollywood punchline to one of the most respected figures in the industry. He was so successful we were completely willing to forget that he starred in that awful Daredevil movie… or at least, that’s what we were going to do before he put a cowl back on to play The Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Also: ‘Batman v Superman’ Review | Whoever Wins… We Lose
With Affleck’s return to blockbuster stardom upon us, we thought the time was right to take a look at the best films on his resumé, as an actor and/or a director. (Sadly, Batman v Superman is not amongst them.) What we discovered is that, for the most part, it’s Ben Affleck’s least conventional choices that really resonated with us over the years. His disturbing mysteries were more impactful than his action movies, his quiet romances more exciting than his attempt at epic love stories.
Keep up the good work, Ben Affleck, and don’t be afraid to ditch the superhero costume. You’re a good Batman, but you’re a great director.
The 10 Best Movies of Ben Affleck:
Top Photo: Warner Bros.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The 10 Best Ben Affleck Movies
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10. Hollywodland (2006)
A great movie trapped inside a middling movie. Hollywoodland stars Ben Affleck as George Reeves, the actor who rose to fame as TV’s Superman, only to suffer when his newfound notoriety ruins all his other career prospects. Affleck is superb but the film cuts away from him too often, focusing instead on a detective (Adrien Brody) investigating Reeves’ untimely death, whose story isn’t nearly as involving.
Photo: Universal Studios
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9. The Town (2010)
One of the better contemporary heist movies, The Town is the story of a bank robber (Affleck) who becomes romantically involved with a woman who became involved in one of his crimes. The plot contrivances are The Town’s weakest points. What really matters are the impressive performances (especially Jeremy Renner, as Affleck’s unstable accomplice) and Affleck’s you-are-there filmmaking.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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8. To the Wonder (2013)
Terrence Malick’s bittersweet romance removes most of the biggest bullet points from a relationship, and shows instead the fleeting, vivid moments of tranquility, anxiety and regret. To the Wonder plays like a dip inside the memory of Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko’s characters. It may not be conventionally entertaining, but you will feel this movie in your soul.
Photo: Magnolia Pictures
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7. The Sum of All Fears (2002)
Ben Affleck was poised to take over the popular Jack Ryan movie franchise from Harrison Ford, but the poor timing of this terrorist thriller (which came out shortly after the real-life tragedy of 9/11) doomed it to knee-jerk criticism and unimpressive box office returns. Still, Affleck is rock solid in this crackerjack political flick, about fascists who goad America and Russia right back to the brink of World War III.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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6. Argo (2012)
It may not be Ben Affleck’s best film, but this Best Picture winner is still smart and excellent. Affleck directs and plays CIA agent Tony Mendez, who has to fabricate a big budget Hollywood blockbuster in order to extricate six American citizens from Tehran during the infamous hostage crisis. Argo’s most exciting moments are also its most fabricated, and yet that doesn’t really matter while you’re pinned the edge of your seat.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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5. Good Will Hunting (1997)
Ben Affleck won his first Academy Award for co-writing this seminal 1990s indie drama, about a math prodigy who refuses to leave his blue collar Boston life behind in favor of a more promising future. Acting-wise, Good Will Hunting belongs to Matt Damon (who won the lead role from Affleck in a coin toss) and Robin Williams, who plays the protagonist’s unusual therapist. But Affleck steals most of his scenes, particularly a laugh out loud bit where he impersonates his brilliant best buddy.
Photo: Miramax Films
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4. Chasing Amy (1997)
Kevin Smith’s most dramatically ambitious film stars Ben Affleck as a comic book illustrator who falls in love with a lesbian, played by Joey Lauren Adams. The sexual politics of Chasing Amy were daring at the time, and perhaps a little “iffy” by contemporary social standards, but Affleck is great during the many frank conversations Smith’s screenplay gives him about love, sex, jealousy and the dangers of a conventional mindset (and the dangers of breaking out of it).
Photo: Miramax Films
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3. Changing Lanes (2002)
An unusual and powerful thriller, Roger Michell’s Changing Lanes stars Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson as two men who keep getting in each other’s way, wrecking each other’s lives by accident and eventually by cruel intention. Affleck is great as the smarmy businessman who thinks he’s a better person than he really is, encouraging audience members to ask similar, disturbing questions about themselves.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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2. Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher’s sadistic and cynical thriller, based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, stars Affleck as a husband whose wife disappears under mysterious circumstances, and who becomes the #1 suspect under the harsh spotlights of 21st century media scrutiny. It’s a nail biter through and through, but when the twists start unraveling Gone Girl evolves into a truly lurid, damning exploration of a modern marriage.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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1. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Ben Affleck’s directorial debut stars his brother, Casey, and Michelle Monaghan as private detectives investigating the disappearance of a little girl. It’s a crackerjack mystery, and when all is finally revealed, Gone Baby Gone becomes a complex conversation about morality that will leave audience members questioning their own principles. Moreso than any other Ben Affleck movie, this is the one that will linger in your mind for days, weeks, even years.
Photo: Miramax Films
