Return of the Political Suspense Thriller

Rating: 7/10 (20 October 2012)

Ben Affleck takes on the suspense thriller, not one of the easiest genres to deliver on, and scores. This isn't Hitchcock, mind you, but parts of it reminded me of The Year of Living Dangerously. Based on the true story of the extraction of 6 American embassy workers during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, Affleck winds the mainspring with a masterful hand, ratcheting the tension up with nary a misstep, folding in historical footage in a way that enhances the production, as though it's all of one piece. The production is straightforward, avoiding such things as noir or atmospherics, electing to let the storyline carry the picture. Affleck also avoids the trap of melodrama, allowing the story to unfold at its own pace, producing its own, genuine drama and suspense.