The first trailer for Ben Affleck‘s gangster flick “Live by Night” was released Thursday, and fans of “The Town” should approve.
Affleck is back in his element in the Warner Bros.’ film as a member of the gritty Boston underworld, only this time he plays Joe Coughlin, the son of the police superintendent who decides to turn his back on his father’s values and enter a life of crime.
But after Coughlin gets on the wrong side of one of the city’s crime bosses, he’s forced to move south to Ybor City, Florida, where he becomes a bootlegger and rum-runner — and climbs up the local underworld.
“Even if you win today’s battle, there’s so much violence in what you have to do,” the trailer begins, before segueing into a driving shootout between Affleck and police officers. The two-and-a-half minute teaser also prominently features the Oscar winner in a geographically-appropriate tan suit as he mingles and battles his way through 1920s central Florida.
The movie, Affleck’s first directorial role since winning an Academy Award for 2012’s “Argo,” also stars Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper and Elle Fanning. It was adapted from Dennis Lehane‘s 2012 novel of the same name.
“Live by Night” was originally slated for a Christmas 2015 release date, but it’s been pushed back several times and will now hit theaters on Jan. 13, 2017.