A chilling dramatization with funny moments

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2012)

Ben Affleck did an amazing job directing this movie and telling the story of the 6 hostages who escaped the US Embassy during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and US hostage crisis and the CIA agent who rescued them. The imagery of the protesters is chilling, as one thinks about current affairs in Libya and Syria. Even more remarkable is thinking about the Iranian revolution and its impact on the US long before the advent of the internet and social media. The ensemble cast is strong and the performances elicit the gamut of emotions that all parties must have felt during the crisis and the Argo project. There is lots of foul language, so be prepared for those moments. In his performance as Tony Menendez, Affleck illustrates what the life of a CIA agent leading covert operations must be like. Alan Arkin and John Goodman are wonderful and funny as the "Hollywood men". Victor Garbor delivers a poignant performance as the Canadian Prime Minister showing the emotional balance between empathy and fear.