Five years ago, had anyone told me that one of the films I’d be most excited about in the far-off year of 2010 would be directed by and star Ben Affleck… Well, you all get where this is leading.

But here we are and here you go:


—–

For some reason I’ve always been somewhat of an Ben Affleck fan, probably because he’s a decent screen presence and whenever appearing as himself on a talk show or documentary like “Project Greenlight,” he comes off as a genuinely decent guy with enough modesty left in him to still seem a little dazed by just how charmed of a life he leads. Self-awareness is as attractive a quality in an actor as it is rare. It also helps that he’s forever linked to Matt Damon, and by comparison anyone would look like a winner next to that classless, charmless, overrated piece of hardwood.

No one’s forgotten that Affleck’s relationship with Jennifer Lopez came thisclose to killing off his career and forever turning him into a Late Night punchline. And it wasn’t just the self-indulgent Gigli,” where the two obnoxious lovers tried to spin tabloid frenzy into box-office gold. Equally off-putting was the 24/7 Bennifer hype-machine that coincided with Affleck making one dreadful career choice after another (though “Paycheck” kinda rocks my B-movie loving world).

But you got to throw a little respect to a Hollywood lefty willing to appear live on “The O’Reilly Factor.” During the ’04 election appearance, Affleck held his own and also managed to avoid coming off as the Imperial Limousine Hollywood Liberal. Damon, Clooney, and Garofalo should’ve studied the segment because it was a primer on how to champion an agenda without alienating your audience. Though it took place over six years ago, I still remember his good-natured tussle with O’Reilly because Affleck showed a little something you don’t see in many movie stars these days: character.

He would show even more a few years later with his decision to crash out of the searing gossip limelight and fruitless quest for super-stardom in order to get down to the serious business of honing his craft. The best result of the career reboot was 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone,” Affleck’s big screen directing debut (starring his incredibly talented brother, Casey) and one of the best films of that year. This is one of those cinematic rarities that not only gets better with each viewing but also perfectly captures the world in which its set thanks to beautifully crafted characters, pitch-perfect performances, and believably complicated relationships and emotions. Even the seasoned Clint Eastwood was unable to do his with “Mystic River,” a similar story set in a similar place. The closing scene alone stays with you for days.

For a veteran director, “Gone Baby Gone” would be considered a milestone. For a first timer it’s a stunner, and with that — with what was likely his last shot at career resurrection, Ben Affleck is a Late Night punchline no more.

We all root for the underdog, but this is something more — at least to me . On September 10th, with “The Town, we’re going to find out if Ben Affleck is the major cinematic storytelling talent his debut promised him to be, one of the few under the age of 60, or not.

Considering the dreadful state of filmmaking these days, all movie lovers should be rooting for this one.