Great Acting, Great Cinematography, and a Great Story

Rating: 8/10 (11 November 2012)

To put it simply, this is a great movie. From the opening scenes that set the stage all the way to the stressful and exhilarating climax, this film is jam-packed full of excitement.
The movie starts with a few scenes from the revolution in Iran in 1979. The American Embassy is stormed and hostages are taken. However, a few of them escape the embassy, and getting these escapees out of Iran is the central focus of the film. The story is very well-written and thought provoking. While it does dramatize the events, it doesn't overdo it. The film never relies on action sequences, special effects, or even an epic soundtrack to create the tension; it's all directly derived from the story. I definitely see an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in the near future.
As far as acting is concerned, every character is great. I particularly enjoyed Bryan Cranston (although that may be because I love Breaking Bad so much), because he was believably hilarious and serious at the same time. Ben Affleck does a great job with the lead role, but his character is quite static and somewhat one-dimensional. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just could have done with some more back story of his character. All the other supporting actors are great, and I particularly enjoyed the actors who played the hostages. I'd never heard of any of them, but they all did a great job.
All in all, this film is great. Great acting, great cinematography, and best of all, a great story. I'd definitely recommend seeing this, you won't be disappointed.
RATING: 8.5/10