‘The Way Back’ takes Affleck through a heart-wrenching, hopeful journey

Posted on March 13, 2020

By MARK VIOLA

Back in 2016, director Gavin O’Connor and actor Ben Affleck gave us “The Accountant,” a highly underrated movie that made my Top 10 list that year. Now, the pair are back together for “The Way Back,” which is both a sports film and a character drama about a man struggling with alcoholism.

In real life, Affleck has had famous struggles with alcoholism, which makes his exceptional performance in the movie even more compelling. Sometimes I think Affleck is one of those “movie stars” that people sometimes forget can really act. Few people doubt Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting chops, but it seems at times Affleck has to continually prove himself to audiences. If you go see “The Way Back,” there’s no way you’ll leave doubting his abilities.

The story follows Jack Cunningham (Affleck), a former high school basketball star who has fallen on hard times in recent years. His life consists of going to work, going to the bar and being helped home so he can pass out and start it over the next day.

Then he receives a call from his old Catholic high school. Their basketball coach has had a heart attack and want him to fill in. Balking at first, Jack eventually agrees and finds in the team a connection giving him a reason to consider a better path, or at least one involving less alcohol.

Of course, it’s not going to be a simple journey, especially after we learn more about Jack’s past, including more than one personal tragedy. The script, which was co-written by O’Connor and Brad Ingelsby (“Out of the Furnace”), doles out these revelations slowly, but never in a way that feels like the writers are being coy with the audience.

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