WOW - exceeded my expectations

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 2012)

My husband and I saw this to kill some time on a recent vacation. I did not know what it was about beforehand (yes, I live under a rock).
The premise of the movie comes together quite quickly thanks to an informative prologue and an excellent screenplay. Basically, during the Iran hostage crisis of the late 70s 6 members of the American embassy in Iran escape and take refuge in the Canadian embassy. To get them out of Iran a crafty CIA agent devises a plan so absurd it may actually have a chance of working. To succeed in his plan the CIA agent (played by Affleck) needs the cooperation of a Hollywood makeup artist and producer.
The movie is based on actual historical events. It has the grainy look of a 70s movie. You feel like you are transported back in time while watching this movie. The acting is superb with the exception (and I really hate to say this!!) of Affleck. Sorry, Ben Affleck is not a good actor! His directing is incredible, and I loved Argo. I just wish he had cast someone else in the lead.
Argo is a taut thriller. Even when you know what the outcome will be you will be thrilled by the events along the way. The tension in palpable. This is a tremendous movie that you must see at least once. I do hope Affleck gets an Oscar for best director. It would be very well deserved.