Ben Affleck may have two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes in his trophy cabinet for his efforts as a writer, director and producer, but he’s spent the better part of 25 years having his acting ability called into question.
If you were to ask most people to pick a side between Hollywood’s best friends from Boston, then a lot of them would agree that Matt Damon is arguably the more talented when it comes to acting, but Affleck remains a bigger star that’s achieved much more on the other side of the camera.
However, even though he dipped his toes back into blockbuster waters by signing on to play Batman in the DCEU, Affleck’s best and most noteworthy performance of the last decade has largely been slept on. Re-teaming with The Accountant‘s Gavin O’Connor, The Way Back follows a former basketball protege stuck in a dead end job and struggling with alcoholism, who ends up becoming the coach for his alma mater’s team.
Obviously, those familiar with Affleck’s personal struggles will know how much the part of Jack Cunningham reflects his own life, so it’s little wonder that he delivered a sensational turn that was as raw as it was gut-wrenching. If you haven’t seen it, The Way Back comes highly recommended with an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score, while it’s steadily rising up the Netflix most-watched list after jumping thirteen places since yesterday, as per FlixPatrol.
