LIVE BY NIGHT (Rated R)

Films released in January are all too often the unfortunate equivalent of a box of melted chocolates and wilted flowers delivered a week after Valentine’s Day.

Where does that leave writer-director-star Ben Affleck, boasting the trifecta of cinematic endeavors, when his film “Live By Night” had a limited release in December only to be followed by a big splash in the dead zone of January?

The answer may depend on your appetite for a muscular crime drama set primarily in the Prohibition era of the 1920s when Ben Affleck’s Joe Coughlin, the son of a Boston police captain (Brendan Gleeson), takes the wrong path after returning from Army duty during World War I.

Engaged in criminal acts while carrying on a risky affair with a mobster’s girlfriend, the alluring Emma (Sienna Miller), Coughlin runs afoul of warring Irish mobsters and Italian mafia. 

Since Emma’s linked to Irish mob boss Albert White (Robert Glenister), Coughlin cuts a deal with Italian kingpin Maso Pescatore (Remo Girone) to set up shop in Florida to muscle in on White’s rum-running operation.

Relocating to Ybor City in the Sunshine State with his loyal pal Dion Bartolo (Chris Messina), Coughlin makes a pact with the local Cuban gang for supplies of rum, and then falls for pretty, slinky black Cuban immigrant Graciela Suarez (Zoe Zaldana).

Coughlin’s interracial romance draws the ire of a KKK goon who happens to be the brother-in-law of the local sheriff (Chris Cooper), an uptight lawman who nonetheless seems to look the other way on the illicit trafficking of alcohol.

With the return of legal alcohol, Coughlin cooks up a new plan for a casino in a palatial hotel resort setting, but snags occur with plans to enlist public support for a plebiscite to approve gambling.

Meanwhile, back in Boston, mob chieftain Pescatore grows weary of Coughlin’s scheme to promote the dicey proposition of gambling rather than focusing on more lucrative criminal enterprises.

The payoff of a climactic showdown between Coughlin’s crew and the Italians sent down from Boston is the kind of brutal shootout that fans of old-school gangster films are likely to enjoy.

What “Live By Night” has going for it besides the high-octane action is a stylish look of an elegant period piece capturing the essence of the roaring Twenties and the Depression era.

TV Corner: 'Sneaky Pete' on Amazon

Old habits die hard, but I am still clinging to the rapidly outmoded model of watching television shows on cable as well as, gasp, networks.

Yet, viewing habits of many are adjusting to the relatively new world of streaming programs that fit your schedule.

Amazon, which sells everything from auto parts to patio furniture, is in the business of streaming their own original television programs.

“Sneaky Pete” is just their newest thing to alight on the Internet or mobile device of your choosing.

With a production pedigree that could easily land the series on practically any network or premium cable outlet, “Sneaky Pete,” created by multi-talented Bryan Cranston among others, is a solid crime drama starring Giovanni Ribisi as the titular character.

As explored in flashbacks, Ribisi’s Marius is a petty con artist who’s often out of his league as he attempts dangerous confidence games with the kind of people that would kill their own mothers to get ahead.

About to be released from prison, Marius learns from his inept brother Eddie (Michael Drayer) that a mobster named Vince (Bryan Cranston) holds Marius responsible for a $100,000 debt that must be repaid, otherwise Eddie could start losing some fingers to a bolt-cutter.

Marius swipes the identity of a cellmate named Pete, a talkative sort who recounts an idyllic life in rural Connecticut with his grandparents.  Sliding into the life of his fellow prisoner, the fake Pete heads to the country for a new life away from the pitfalls of New York City.

Currying favor with the grandparents Otto (Peter Gerety) and Audrey (Margo Martindale), the fake Pete figures that his absence for 20 years makes it possible to adapt to new surroundings with what he learned from the real Pete. 

It turns out that the family business is in bail bonds, the sort of dubious enterprise where clients on the run might actually be well-connected mobsters or dangerous petty criminals that could easily put the fake Pete into a compromising position.

“Sneaky Pete” involves a delicate balancing act for the fake Pete to juggle the demands of his new family and to keep in contact with his parole officer back in the big city while also trying to stay a few steps ahead of the unforgiving Vince and his deadly goons.

The series is replete with interesting characters on the fringes of the law.  Giovanni Ribisi does a great job in moving back and forth in his identities of Marius and fake Pete.

Though his scenes may be brief, Bryan Cranston shines as the volatile, perilous gangster fervently anxious to exact retribution.

“Sneaky Pete” may hold up well for its 10-episode run. 

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.