This is Ben Affleck's film all the way and I have to say I am more than impressed. I'm glad that he seems to have discovered what he is really good at. As an actor he was never really convincing. And even though he gives a great understated, albeit a bit one-note, performance here, it is in the director's chair where he excels.

This bizarre 'truth is stranger than fiction' tale has all the hallmarks of being turned into an over-stylized and over-dramatized political thriller. This is anything but that. Much like his performance, Affleck decided to take away the frills, leaving behind a film that is reminiscent of the political thrillers of yesteryear. Solid, made with craftsmanship and more…

Argo, the true life story you couldn’t make up, was always ripe for the Hollywood treatment and for the most part Affleck and co. do a good job of bringing it to the screen. Most should be familiar with the plot by now but if not it revolves around a CIA operation to get American diplomats out of Iran during the revolution. Their cover is an audacious and implausible recce scouting for film locations for a crappy space opera movie. It is easy to see what would attract somebody like Ben Affleck to this project, it has a current political resonance, Hollywood satire and an old fashioned thriller element driving the story forward.

Affleck does a commendable job juggling many…

Winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Argo is Ben Affleck's finest work as a director, is one of the best films of its year & is quite an accomplished piece of storytelling that expertly recounts the real-life event that took place in Iran during the Iranian Revolution in which 6 US diplomats were rescued by CIA with the help of Canadian government.

Set in 1979 Iran, the story of Argo follows 6 US diplomats who go into hiding when Iranian revolutionaries invade the American embassy in Tehran, taking several of them hostages. In an effort to get its people out of the country, CIA goes through various options & eventually settles with an insane plan; to arrive in Iran for…

This review was originally published in the Highlander newspaper on 10/16/12. It was also my first film review ever(be gentle).

www.highlandernews.org/4744/argo-review/

Through most of film history, audiences have been attracted to films based on true stories. They want to see something that really happened and feel like they were there. Though these films often exaggerate or change certain parts of events for drama, the point is usually to dramatize the plot while sticking loosely to details for better cinematic effect. “Argo” pays close attention to detail and exaggerates at the same time. Combined with a stellar script, excellent cinematography and superb acting, this film is one of the year’s best. Directed by Ben Affleck and written by Chris Terrio, “Argo”…