A beautiful cinematic achievement and another success for Affleck!

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2012)

'ARGO': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Ben Affleck's third outing as feature film director (following 2010's 'THE TOWN' and 2007's 'GONE BABY GONE'). This one is set during the Iran hostage crisis (that began in 1979) in which six U.S. diplomats fled the U.S. embassy in Tehran and hid out (for several months) at the Canadian ambassador's home there. It's loosely based on CIA specialist Tony Mendez's account of how he used a fake Sci-Fi film production called 'Argo' to get them out of the country. Affleck also stars in the film (as Mendez, despite the fact that Affleck is not a Latino) but he didn't write the script (like he co-wrote his two other directorial efforts). Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay and it's based on the 2007 Wired article 'How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran' by Joshua Bearman. It co-stars Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Christopher Denham and Clea DuVall. The movie is funny, dramatic and extremely tense at times; like the other two films Affleck has helmed it's a grade A production all around!
The film begins in 1979 Tehran with the U.S. embassy being invaded by Iranian revolutionaries (in protest to the U.S. supporting the Shah they recently deposed). Most of the embassy staff is taken hostage except six who escape and flee to the home of the Canadian ambassador there, Ken Taylor (Garbor). Their escape is unknown to the revolutionaries and their whereabouts are kept secret while the U.S. tries to figure out the best way to get them home to safety. CIA specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck) is brought in to help with the planning of their exfiltration. He devises a plan to use the cover of a fake Sci-Fi film, called 'Argo', and pretend to scout locations for the film in Tehran in order to get the six diplomats out under the guise of his film crew. Despite skepticism from Government officials Mendez pursues his plan with the help of a Hollywood make-up artist (Goodman) and film producer (Arkin). Cranston plays Mendez's supervisor on the operation.
The movie is touching on some issues and politics that are very relevant to the times today (of course) and it's extremely dramatic and emotional because of it. It's also very funny (especially when it gets in to the fake film details of it's story) and, like I said, very tense and suspenseful at times as well (especially in the third act). You can tell events have been altered quite a bit from actual history for dramatic and cinematic effect and the film has been criticized for some of it's changes but Affleck has still mastered a beautiful film. Not taking factual accuracy in to account and just looking at it as a masterful suspense thriller it's a beautiful cinematic achievement and another success for Affleck, who has proved to be a much better director than he is an actor (although he's not a bad actor either and does fine in this film). The problem with Affleck's career a few years back was just the over hyped publicity of it (that and the fact that he did a lot of OK to bad films). He's actually a very talented actor as well as an excellent filmmaker (possibly one of the best working in film today). The rest of the cast is all exceptional in the film as well, especially Cranston and Arkin (who are scene stealers). 'ARGO' isn't quite as impressive a film as 'THE TOWN' but it does deserve all the critical recognition and Oscar hype it's getting and it's a must see for any true film fan.
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