Argo.
Argo:
In 1979, the American government assisted the dictating Shah of Iran by putting him in protective custody. Violent protestors broke into the American Embassy and kidnapped some staff. Six employees escaped and were taken into custody at the Canadian ambassador's home. They avoided capture for months, and were near capture in January 1980. CIA agent Tony Mendez convinced his superiors, such as Jack O'Donnell, to go along with a mission to rescue the hostages. The plan: fly in as a "Canadian movie crew" to rescue the hostages at the ambassador's house, and then fly back to the States altogether as a crew. The script they chose: "Argo", a Star Wars-rip off, and a possible metaphor for the state of Iran. They made the film have a Middle-Eastern vibe to convince citizens that they needed Iran to film, and the mission was successful. The filmm is loosely based on this event, but is entertaining as hell. Ben Affleck turns in a fantastic perofrmance as Mendez, a man who is currently having troubles with his wife, and is inspired by his son (a huge sci-fi buff) to concieve the Argo operation. He becomes emotionally distruaght and tense, and Affleck captures the tension of possibly being tortured and killed terrifically. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Larry Crowne, Batman: Year One) turns in a great performance as O'Donnell, Mendez's stern but sympathetic boss, who is as invested in the Argo operation as Mendez, even though he's restricted to the CIA offices. Alan Arkin turns in a great comedic performance as Lester Siegel, a producer who says "If I'm gonna make a fake movie, it's gonna be a fake hit." Surprisingly, the trailers focused more on his character and the "fake movie" thing than the film does. Siegel also coins the catchphrase "ArGo fuck yourself!" John Goodman plays Mendez and Siegel's friend, Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers, who assists Mendez in to making the Argo illusion as real as possible. Clea DuVall, Kyle Chandler, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, and Christopher Stanley all give great perofrmances as some of the "houseguests" of the Canadian ambassador. Also worhty of note, Tom Lenk (The Cabin in the Woods, Buffy) plays Rodd, and Michael Parks makes a cameo as comic artist Jack Kirby. The film was also produced by actor-turned-director George Clooney and Grant Heslov, who had worked together on Clooney's award-winning 2005 biopic Good Night and Good Luck. Affleck really shows his further upgrade as an actor, and a director. his previous two films: the crime capers Gone Baby Gone (starring Affleck's brother Casey.) and The Town, were excellent films, and Affleck has branched out from Boston-based crime movies into historically-based period pieces about political conflicts. Affleck is still able to create an amazing tension, even though you know that the hostages escape, you're always on the edge of your seat. The writing is brilliant, remaining dramatic, but still pretty accurate. The opening scene is a compilation of sci-fi-like sotryboards, and stock footage. The end credits feature a comparison of movie scenes and actual photos, remaining incredibly accurate to the source. Argo is an amazingly entertaining, exhilirating, and gripping drama/thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll. 5/5 stars.
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