10 Films That Saved Directors From 'Movie Jail'

As the saying goes, "the most celebrated are the rehabilitated", and this is definitely true of Ben Affleck and his numerous comebacks throughout his career, which have only made him more beloved.

After rocketing to stardom, becoming the youngest ever Oscar winner of Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting, Affleck never managed to recapture this success as an actor, but eventually managed to prove himself as an accomplished director.

Following his disastrous duo of films in 2003 (Gigli and Daredevil) and constant tabloid exposure alongside then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez ('Bennifer'), Affleck was truly the punchline to most jokes in Hollywood. Look no further than Team America: World Police, a film which satirised Hollywood in general, with one song solely ridiculing Affleck's performance in Pearl Harbour: "I need you like Ben Affleck needs acting school, he was terrible in that film."

It was truly the decision to step behind the camera that allowed Affleck to make his Hollywood comeback. His decision to adapt Dennis Lehane's crime novel Gone Baby Gone was met with a positive response among critics and at the box office.

It was political thriller Argo that managed to win Ben an Oscar for Best Picture and even prompted The New Yorker to state the film was "further proof that we were wrong about Ben Affleck".

While Affleck's career since has been fairly turbulent, he is still an undeniable talent with the right project.