Ben Affleck has been dominating the tabloids recently after Jennifer Lopez finalized her divorce from the Hollywood actor and filmmaker. This marks Affleck’s second high-profile split, following his divorce from Jennifer Garner in 2018. While much of the public’s attention is on his recent breakup with Lopez, we’re here to shift the focus and bring you something a little different perspective.
On this website, we have curated a list including some of Affleck’s best movies. He has been a producer, writer, actor, and director, but this article focuses on his on-screen performances. So, if you have Affleck on your mind, much like the rest of the world, we recommend putting that to good use and watching some of his finest work!
1. Gone Girl
Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and released back in 2014, Gone Girl will definitely go on to become a classic after a few decades. Ben Affleck’s performance as Nicholas Dunne is one of the many highlights of this movie, which will keep you engaged from the opening scene until the end.
Gone Girl revolves around Nick realizing that he’s at the center of a media circus following the devastating disappearance of his wife, Amy. The cast also includes Rosamund Pike, Emily Ratajkowski, Carrie Coon, Neil Patrick Harris, Kim Dickens, Lola Kirke, and Tyler Perry.
2. The Way Back
Sports drama isn’t one of the most common genres Ben Affleck has appeared in, but his performance in The Way Back, directed by Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant, Warrior), is noteworthy. Affleck plays the role of a divorced alcoholic, Jack Cunningham, whose life changes when he has to coach a basketball team.
The Way Back also included some phenomenal performances by Al Madrigal, Janina Gavankar, Michaela Watkins, Brandon Wilson, Will Ropp, Fernando Luis Vega, Charles Lott Jr., Ben Irving, and Melvin Gregg. Affleck was also nominated for the Critics Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards amongst others for his performance.
3. Hollywoodland
In 2006, Ben Affleck won at the Hollywood Film Awards, and Venice Film Festival for his performance in Hollywoodland. He was also nominated at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, which makes this movie a top contender in this list. Directed by Allen Coulter, Hollywoodland follows the plot of the mysterious death of star George Reeves, played by Affleck.
This movie also included actors and actresses like Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Kathleen Robertson, Robin Tunney, Lois Smith, Phillip MacKenzie, Larry Cedar, and Caroline Dhavernas among others.
4. Deep Water
Deep Water is one of Ben Affleck’s more recent works, which was released in 2022 and was directed by Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Lolita). In this movie, Affleck shared the screen with his former girlfriend, Ana De Armas, and while Deep Water didn’t do very well among critics, Affleck’s performance deserves plenty of recognition.
In fact, Affleck was the saving grace when it came to Lyne’s lesser-known works. Deep Water also featured De Armas, Jacob Elordi, Finn Wittrock, Rachel Blanchard, Brendan Miller, Grace Jenkins, Kristen Connolly, and Tracy Letts.
5. Argo
We have saved the best for the last, because not only did Ben Affleck star in Argo, he also directed it. This movie was released back in 2012 and is a biographical historical drama, which also won 3 Academy Awards.
Argo was nominated for several awards and accolades and also became an important pillar in Affleck’s career as a director and actor.
Other stars who also made an appearance in Argo were Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Rory Cochrane, and Kyle Chandler amongst others.
Conclusion
These 5 movies are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ben Affleck’s endless contribution to the Hollywood, but this is certainly a good place to start. Do let us know in the comments what your favorite Ben Affleck work is.