Impressive outing for Affleck the director

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2013)

As I was watching Argo, I attempted twice to lay down on my sofa and relax. I just couldn't do it. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I popped right back up again and began biting my fingernails; the suspense was literally keeping me on the edge of my seat. This is an excellent movie. One of the best pictures to come out of Hollywood in a long time.
Argo is based on the true story of a daring rescue of six American diplomats from Tehran in the midst of the Iran hostage crisis. It's very simple to get online and Google this to learn more about the story, which I did after watching the film, and I was impressed by how true to the events Affleck managed to stay in the film. It is Hollywood, though, and one can't expect it to be completely accurate, but the discrepancies are minimal in this case.
I was greatly impressed by the early eighties period detail in the film. The era was rendered quite precisely. I read another review that criticized the fact that Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" wasn't from this period, but really, is it such a stretch to think that these people might still choose to listen to them? I remember seeing them putting an album on the turntable and they were having a celebration at the time. There are many fans of Led Zeppelin out there, possibly including diplomats in hiding.
The only thing that fell short in this film was the acting, specifically that of Ben Affleck. I think his performance was too restrained. In the circumstances he was in I have a hard time believing that he wasn't a bit more emotional; he never seemed stressed out enough or afraid enough throughout the film.
Argo is very technically sound, with top-notch cinematography and excellent production design. It's suspenseful, entertaining, and as historically accurate as can be expected of a film. I give it the highest marks 10/10 and I highly recommend it.