In 2023, Ben Affleck starred in two new movies: Hypnotic and Air. Ever since his breakout role as Fred O’Bannion in Richard Linklater’s 1993 high school comedy, Dazed and Confused, Affleck has built an impressive film career. While Affleck hasn’t fared well in the superhero movie genre, either as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DCEU or as Daredevil, he has had the opportunity to work with several critically acclaimed directors and starred in movies like Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy, Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, George Clooney’s The Tender Bar, and David Fincher’s Gone Girl.
Ben Affleck has also proven to be a talented filmmaker as his notable directorial features include Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo, which won Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards. Affleck has also showcased his skills as a writer as he co-wrote the screenplay for Good Will Hunting with frequent collaborator Matt Damon, which saw them win the Oscar. Together, they also co-wrote the script for The Last Duel, in which they both starred. Affleck has a diverse range of movies in his catalog, and his latest films, Hypnotic and Air, are more excellent additions to his filmography.
Hypnotic’s Premise Of Affleck Finding His Missing Daughter Keeps Audiences Engaged
Hypnotic follows a police detective named Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) who, while investigating a bank, finds a picture of his missing daughter with the phrase, “Find Lev Dellrayne”, on the bottom. It is later revealed that Dellrayne is a man capable of bending reality to his will and telling people to do whatever he wants with his mind. In the same vein as other psychological thrillers like Memento, one of the best aspects of Hypnotic is its premise.
The idea of a cop confronting a man who can control others with his mind and may be responsible for Rourke’s missing daughter is incredibly exciting to watch. While the film does have some bland and unengaging moments, the premise along with the cast of Hypnotic, which includes Alice Braga and William Fichtner still makes this an intriguing psychological thriller worth watching.
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Matt Damon’s Performance As Sonny Vaccaro Keeps Air Consistently Entertaining
Air tells the true story of Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), an employee at Nike who attempts to recruit a young Michael Jordan to develop a brand of basketball shoes that would later become known as Air Jordan and earn Nike billions of dollars. While Michael Jordan does not appear in Air, the film still manages to tell an engaging underdog story thanks to Affleck’s directing, Alex Convery’s sharp and witty script, and the film’s fast-paced editing. Additionally, Vaccaro proves to be the heart of Air as Damon’s excellent performance is what drives the story.
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Air Is The Better Ben Affleck Movie
While Hypnotic does have an intriguing premise and plays around with various unique concepts, it is filled with several exposition-heavy scenes that often drag down the momentum and can sometimes make the film feel tedious to watch. Meanwhile, Air is very fast-paced and its focus on Sonny Vaccaro keeps the story consistently entertaining. Overall, while Air is the better Ben Affleck film released in 2023, Hypnotic is still worth seeing.
