The legitimately "thrilling" political thriller

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2013)

The Short: Argo is smart, politically potent, sharply written, incredibly well directed and chock full of important ideas and messages - all while being entertaining and enjoyable by even the most pedestrian of movie-goers. Argo is a tough film to review. Not because it is a tough film to swallow - quite the opposite. Argo is the "Inception" of historical political thrillers. Sure, on the surface Argo is a historical political thriller.
But digging deeper Argo is so much more. Argo is a meta homage to science fiction film, an unexpectedly exciting look at an event that changed history, an often times funny and laugh out loud comedy, an intense and exciting thriller, all while being a smart and incredibly potent political statement along with taking a sharp and incredibly smart stab at Hollywood. Yeah, that's a lot to digest, I know. But the brilliant thing about it? Argo presents all of these major ideas and messages so incredibly well. It doesn't become muddled, cloudy, or boring. Rather, Argo is a slow-burner that keeps you invested by continually introducing elements that have never been effectively used in a historical thriller, which it does it rather well.
Argo doesn't fall prey to the long and droning office banter that most historically "accurate" thrillers offer, but rather changes the sets, characters, and scenery frequently. From Iran to Hollywood to Washington and back, Argo progressively feels something like a Bourne or James Bond "secret agent" style flick, and while it never features intense shootouts or the quick elimination of a room of bad guys in a stylish fashion, it still maintains a sense of intense thrills and a finale where all suspense simply just boils over.
Argo is no doubt exciting, but it accomplishes this in its own, very unique way.And what the about the cast? Well, you've got the stoic Affleck donning both lead role and director's cap, the great John Goodman playing the anti-Hollywood big shot, and the hilarious Alan Arkin (recently played chief in Get Smart) in the main roles. The supporting cast is strong as well, both funny and incredibly dynamic. There are a couple of film clichés that permeate this otherwise fantastically original film. Other than that, there are seriously no other flaws that I could find watching Argo. Nor did I care, because Argo was awesome.In the end, Argo is something seemingly normal that feels fresh, and at the helm is someone who knows how to get those ideas across tremendously well.
Argo is something special, and it's timing couldn't be any better especially with the rising tensions with Iran some 30 years later in 2012. Argo is not only good, it's so crazy you won't believe it's actually a true story. Bravo, Mr. Affleck. Bravo.Second Opinions: I'm standing by my 4.5. Saw it again, and it just wowed me how incredibly well it maintains all of the tension even a second time around, yet it remains at the "so close" to re-watchable perfection.