# Ben Affleck's 6 Directed Films Ranked

> Ben Affleck's film career: from 'Gone Baby Gone' to 'Animals' ranked.
- Title: Ben Affleck's 6 Directed Films Ranked · SlashFilm | Shortify
- Summary: Ben Affleck's film career: from 'Gone Baby Gone' to 'Animals' ranked. Ben Affleck's directed films ranked with 'Gone Baby Gone' as his strongest work and…
- Keywords: ben affleck, gone baby gone, animals, argo, the town, live by night, nickelodeon, warner bros, netflix, matt damon, phil knight, michael jordan
- Source: SlashFilm — https://slashfilm.com/2283288/ben-affleck-directed-movies-ranked
- Author: Devin Meenan
- Published: 2026-10-11T18:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ben affleck, gone baby gone, animals, argo, the town, live by night, nickelodeon, warner bros, netflix, matt damon, phil knight, michael jordan
## Ben Affleck's directing journey
Ben Affleck, known for acting, reinvented himself as a director after his 2000s acting slump.
## Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Ben Affleck's debut film, 'Gone Baby Gone', stars his brother Casey Affleck and is his most successful work.
## Animals (2026)
Ben Affleck's latest film 'Animals' is a political thriller about a lawyer running for mayor with a kidnapped son.
## Argo (2012)
Ben Affleck's 'Argo' won Best Picture for its depiction of the Iranian hostage crisis escape.
## The Town (2010)
Ben Affleck's 'The Town' follows a bank robber crew in Boston with a romance that threatens their lives.
## Live by Night (2016)
Ben Affleck's 'Live by Night' is a Prohibition-era crime thriller with a flawed runtime and pacing.
## Air (2024)
Ben Affleck's 'Air' explores Nike's 1984 deal with Michael Jordan as a historical underdog story.
## The 2026 ranking
Ben Affleck's films ranked from best to worst: 'Gone Baby Gone' to 'Live by Night'.
## Why 'Animals' was criticized
Ben Affleck used generative AI for 'lots of things' during 'Animals' production, drawing criticism.
## The 'Animals' plot
In 'Animals', Ben Affleck plays a lawyer running for mayor whose son is kidnapped with a $7 million ransom.
## The 'Air' story
Ben Affleck's 'Air' depicts Nike's 1984 deal with Michael Jordan as an underdog story.
## The 'Argo' success
Ben Affleck's 'Argo' won Best Picture for its true story of the Iranian hostage crisis escape.
## The 'The Town' ending
Ben Affleck's 'The Town' ends with a ticking time bomb romance that threatens the bank robbers' lives.
## The 'Live by Night' flaws
Ben Affleck's 'Live by Night' has a runtime over two hours with pacing issues and a flawed character.
## Key takeaway

Ben Affleck's directed films ranked with 'Gone Baby Gone' as his strongest work and 'Animals' as his weakest.