Slick, stylish caper from the increasingly quality Affleck staple

Rating: 9/10 (14 November 2012)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
In 1979, after a deposed leader is refused to be returned home to Iran to face trial for human rights abuses, an army of militants storm the Canadian Embassy in that country and take everyone inside hostage, save for a few who escape and hide out at the Canadian ambassador's residence. They desperately need to be rescued, and so the CIA turns to specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to hatch a plan to get them out. Naturally, he comes up with the most insane idea imaginable- to disguise them as a film crew scouting for locations for a new science fiction fantasy called Argo. It was so crazy-it worked.
It seems some of the best stories are real life ones that are so outlandish and far fetched they could be believed to be fiction. Clint Eastwood showed us as such with Changeling and now another former actor who proved to be a much better director, in the shape of Ben Affleck, showcases this dramatization of the real life rescue of a few escapees in a hostile climate.
The big ask here is: can you make a story you already know the outcome of genuinely thrilling? And the simple answer is: yes. As the film draws to a close and the group are racing against the clock to make it through the airport and onto the plane, it is genuinely a nail biting, seat edge experience, that can only be down to impressive writing and a smooth, even pace. His third film at the helm, this certainly feels like the most dynamic and ambitious of Affleck's projects, and while it's historical accuracy and attention to detail could be called in to question, it undeniably brings a colourful and vibrant chapter in American history in to the light.
The most notable thing, actually, is the smooth, balanced transition between the tense drama and the more light hearted, easy going feel, where the character's turn the film's title into a rude but imaginative play on words over and over, which, along with the general zaniness of the idea, makes the whole thing that little bit more of an involving, enthralling ride. ****