Ben Affleck’s career has had an interesting arc.

From winning an Oscar for writing early in his career to his quality work as a director in films like “Argo,” “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone,” Affleck has shown versatility.

But his latest film, “The Way Back,” shows another facet of Affleck’s talents – he’s a pretty good actor, too.

Anchored by Affleck’s strong and personal work, director Gavin O’Connor has crafted a solid sports movie that is as much about what happens off the court as what happens on the court.

Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a former top prospect out of high school with a basketball scholarship to Kansas who is stuck in a pattern of alcohol and isolation from his estranged wife, Angela (Janina Gavankar) – choosing to use the bottle as his source of grieving over the death of their young son.

His life is such a mess that Jack seems to be the last person his former school would turn to when it needs a coach for the struggling basketball program. Even with all his baggage, he is approached by the head of the school and reluctantly agrees.

At first, Jack seems to be just going through the motions. But as he develops relationships with the players – including shy point guard Brandon (Brandon Wilson) – and his assistant coach (Al Madrigal), Jack starts to discover that this job might be the perfect way to erase the mistakes and hurt from his past.

O’Connor, who co-wrote the film with Brad Ingelsby, is no stranger to sports films, having directed “Warrior” and “Miracle.” He brings that same sense of the sport in those films here, creating a movie that on the surface appears to be playing to the formula but ultimately proves to be something much deeper.

Like those films, this is a movie about relationships – with Jack’s emotional journey the driving force behind the story.

Affleck is up to the task, playing a character that hits close to home (Affleck himself went to rehab for alcohol relapse following a divorce before filming “The Way Back.”) You get the sense here that Affleck’s performance is therapeutic, allowing the actor to wrestle with his demons onscreen. It brings an authenticity to the material that really drives home the emotions.

As for the moments on the court, O’Connor doesn’t stray too far from the basketball formula. Yet, just when you think it’s all going to follow the genre’s playbook right down to the big game, “The Way Back” throws a wrinkle in the final act that pivots everything back to Jack.

And that is precisely what needed to happen because this is more of a character study than a sports film. Affleck and O’Connor makes sure of that, rewarding the audience with a somber piece with a little bit of rah-rah-rah mixed in.

– To get Micheal Compton’s review of “Wendy” and “The Hunted” visit his blog at bgdailynews.com/blogs/reel_to_reel or follow him on Twitter @mcompton428. Email him at mcompton@bgdailynews.com.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal

Directed by: Gavin O’Connor

Rating: R for language throughout including some sexual references

Playing at: Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (in Glasgow)

Grade: B-