The art of movie-making is not lost

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2013)

I travelled in Iran during the era of the Shah. I knew his was a puppet regime set up by the UK and USA to protect their access to Iranian oil. I knew that he was horrifically repressive and his secret police (SAVAK) were brutal beyond belief. The movie states all of this quite unequivocally at the start.
I also know that what followed him was every bit as oppressive and brutal, and the movie depicts the reality of this. It is not anti-Islamic to show the truth, the summary executions, gun-happy revolutionary guards and many people strung up in the street from mobile cranes, a barbaric practice that continues to this day.
I remember when the Ayatollah flew back in from France, and I really do remember the high hopes all around the world that a new dawn of freedom had arrived for Iran, but unfortunately it never happened. The movie is not inaccurate in its portrayal of those troubled times. The streets were indeed full of angry mobs day after day, usually chanting slogans demanding death to all Americans.
But this is a movie review, not a political analysis, nor a fine examination of the factual details. Ben Affleck has taken the bare bones of a true story and used artistic licence to direct a brilliant thriller, absolutely gripping.
It's top movie-making, and for that I award 10 marks.
Those mean spirits who dispute this - Ar, Go f-ck yerself!