During Ben Affleck‘s lengthy career at or near the top of the Hollywood summit, we’ve seen three distinctly different sides to the industry persona.
The first and likely most well-known, of course, is the A-list movie star who signs on to big-budget blockbusters designed to earn him a lot of money and generate the maximum box office revenue. Then there’s the character actor who joins smaller films allowing him to work with talented filmmakers and stretch his dramatic capabilities as well as the acclaimed writer and director with two Academy Awards under his belt.
Today’s Netflix viewership rankings cover the first two and showcase the 49-year-old’s career at very different stages. The Sum of All Fears arrived in 2002 when Affleck was still trying to establish himself as a bankable leading man, making him the third name to inhabit Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in the space of thirteen years, following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford.
Gone Girl saw him partner up with the meticulous David Fincher for a twisting, darkly funny and psychologically gripping whodunit, with the end result being one of his best-ever performances. As you’d no doubt expect, the latter fared much better from both a critical and commercial perspective, but the former is edging ahead on Netflix.
At the time of writing, The Sum of All Fears occupies twelfth place on the most-watched list, with Gone Girl not too far behind in eighteenth position. Subscribers are clearly in the mood for some Ben Affleck content, even if the two projects couldn’t be more different in terms of style, tone, content and aesthetic.