A leading contender for the top prize?

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2013)

"Argo", Ben Affleck's directorial follow-up to "The Town", is one hell of a thriller. Based on a true story of the CIA mission to rescue six American hostages in the 1979 Iran crisis, Affleck gets just about everything right, wangling fantastic performances from his cast and building the tense atmosphere that a thriller like this demands.
In 1979, the Iran revolutionaries take over the American embassy in Tehran in retaliation for America sheltering the Shah in exile. The whole staff of the embassy is taken hostage but six members escape and hide in the house of the Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). with the situation of the members who escaped being kept away from the prying eyes of the revolutionaries, the CIA starts to make plans for bringing them home. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA specialist, is brought in to try and find an alternative. He makes a ridiculous plan : to help them escape from Iran in guise of a film crew. In preparation for that, he sets up a fake studio in Hollywood with the help of John Chambers (John Goodman), a make-up artist and Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), a Hollywood producer and gets the press to sell this story. Will he be able to help the escapees get out of the country by making his plan work?
I won't go any further because the rest of "Argo" is a thing to be relished. Affleck, who has directed two films prior to "Argo", sinks his teeth into the wonderfully-written screenplay by Chris Terrio. He infuses wry humor into the tense setting and builds tension slowly, though the pace of the film won't give you the luxury of breathing. The opening sequence is choreographed supremely well, as is the climax which is bound to leave you breathless. But where Affleck really shines is how he handles the sequences, like the market sequence, which are shot in the open city with Iranian characters. He etches out his characters really well, adding subtle layers to them by showcasing their desperation with a few terse conversations.
Of the performances, the whole cast turn in convincing performances, but Arkin, who plays the only fictional role in the film of a pompous Hollywood producer Lester Siegel, shines above all others. He generates most of the laughs in the film along with Goodman, who is equally good in his role.
The only issue I have with this beauty of a film is that it runs contrary to my belief that if a film is based on a true story, it should not fictionalize any event. The film has quite a few moments which have originated from the mind of its writer Terrio, like the role of Siegel or the fact that the American embassy staff were turned away by a few diplomats. Though the reason for fictionalizing events for dramatic purposes is understandable, I believe one should not dab at a factual plot.
Although I was aware of this before I saw this film, I could not help but enjoy it thoroughly. "Argo" has given me the same sort of wonderfully unexpected thrill I had experienced while watching "The French Connection". Seldom have I watched a film that had me this hooked from the moment it began. I'm appalled by the fact that Affleck has not snagged a nomination for Best Director, though I expect this film to be a leading contender for the top prize.