Affleck delivers another amazing film
10/10
Author: rgblakey from United States
12 October 2012

After years of being one of those actors that was hit and miss with people, who would have thought he would become one of the most sought after great directors in the industry. After his last film The Town received so much acclaim and award nominations everyone was wondering if it was just a fluke. His latest film Argo takes on the actual events during the Iran Hostage Crisis finds him once again taking on double duties with directing and starring, but can he bring these events to life and create another great film along with it?

Argo follows the unbelievable true story of six Americans that have found shelter with the Canadian ambassador in Iran when the revolution reaches a boiling point. The CIA works alongside some heavy hitters in Hollywood to create a fake film production to concoct a risky plan to try and get them out of the country. For a movie that focuses on a situation that was so dire and heavy, this film comes off a bit lighter than expected. Ben Affleck has crafted a brilliantly entertaining film on numerous levels. The story alone is intriguing watching their unbelievable plan come to life.

During this time of the film it delivers some really funny moments, without falling to far off track and confusing the kind of film this is. The acting here is top notch with everyone involved, including Affleck himself delivering some awesome performances. The dynamic between Affleck and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is perfect creating a duo that both entertain as well as keep this story on track. The biggest treat in this film are brilliant and a lot of time funny performances from John Goodman and Alan Arkin. These guys really bring all the Hollywood aspect to the film to life while delivering Oscar worthy performances that will hopefully be recognized.

The gritty look to this film really helps to capture the vibe and tone of the film while combined with the attention to detail, helps take you into the time period it takes place. Brilliant directing, acting, story and some fun sci-fi references throughout takes Argo into the realm of one of the best films to come along in some time. Affleck proves once again of his talent as a director and that The Town was no fluke. This is a must see film that will no doubt be all-the buzz when award season comes around and deserves every bit of it.

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Do go to ARGO
10/10
Author: dgefroh from United States
6 November 2012

WOW!! What a movie, talk about sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and wiggling your feet despite the fact that you know the outcome and how this event will all end. This movie is true movie making magic from the very start. The acting is exceptional, and the production and direction is truly outstanding. By now you know the premise of this story, but until you see how it all unfolded, you really don't know anything. Until this movie, I had never been in a theater where the audience actually claps at the conclusion.

This one brings out several emotions as you view and a overwhelming sense of patriotism is just one that you will experience. Ben Affleck shows he is a class director, Oscar worthy for sure. The entire cast is so believable and engaging, especially Bryan Cranston who again shows great and exceptional skill in role development. I loved this movie, you will too. One of the very best for 2012 and even maybe for years to come. Watch and enjoy!!

No complaints
10/10
Author: kgmarra from United States
13 October 2012

Ben Affleck directs and stars in the newest political thriller, "Argo". It is filled with A-list actors such as Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, and Bryan Cranston who each contribute to this incredibly moving film, which is based on a declassified true story. It takes place during the Iranian revolution of 1979 and 1980 in Tehran. More than sixty Americans from the US embassy were held as hostages, but six of them escaped and were hiding out in the home of the Canadian ambassador (Garber). Tony Mendez (Affleck), a CIA extraction specialist, came along to concoct a plan to rescue these six Americans.

After speaking to his son while watching a movie one night, Mendez had a creative yet genius idea. He and the escaped hostages would pretend to be the film crew of a new sci-fi movie called "Argo". With the help of Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers (Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Arkin), this fake crew made their story quite credible. Ben Affleck did a spectacular job directing this film, which pretty faithfully follows such an unbelievable story. Every actor is convincing as his/her character and the cast was impeccably chosen. Make sure you stay in the theater to watch the credits. You'll see some real photographs and clips that mirror Affleck's film and actors.

"Argo" is basically only rated R for language, making it appropriate for most teens, in my opinion. I definitely recommend this film to everyone, whether you're an adult who remembers watching this on TV or you're a kid who doesn't know anything about politics. It is extremely dramatic, exciting, and heart wrenching, but also hilarious on many occasions. When the movie ends, the entire audience applauds and cheers. It's an amazing story that deserves to be heard. I give "Argo" a 10 out of 10. I have no complaints.

Historical Mission Impossible
10/10
Author: Mek Torres from Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
19 October 2012

We already know that Ben Affleck is better as a director than an actor. He tells a story uniquely with his own cinematic art and style. In Argo, this is a new challenge for him. Making a large and historical drama thriller. Argo is based on a declassified true story about Tony Mendez rescuing six US diplomats from Iran. The movie depicts the story in a much suspenseful way. Affleck's directing talent shines once again with modern and old Hollywood vibe. The film is both dark and light, funny and thrilling. Argo is undeniably entertaining, compelling, and exciting.

Firstly the performances, Bryan Cranston did what he does best. John Goodman and Alan Arkin are the delight and the comic relief of the film. Ben Affleck portrays Tony Mendez pretty well. He gave enough depth to the role. Now as a director, you may notice his trademarks(Though, it's not set in Boston and there were no masked criminals). He brings his style of suspense to the picture. The storytelling is not only straightforward, but it also builds the tension starting by exploring what's going on until it proceeds to the next action. It never stops being gripping.

What's impressive is it can balance its various tones decently without being a mess. Outside the storytelling is a solid craft. The film looks credibly retro. They obviously wanted to make everything look the same to the real life story. The production design really captures the eighties like their vehicles, clothes, and the awesome mustache and beard. The camera is shaky which larges the scale and makes the absurd climax exciting. Argo is sensational as a film directed by Ben Affleck. It provides great suspense, drama, and humor which made itself so remarkably charming.

This film proves that Affleck can make bigger films than just Boston crime dramas. His style of bringing tension is the classy formula of the film. The rest of the filmmaking is solid. Argo is simply a classic. No matter how ridiculous the premise sounds, it's still undeniably smart and spectacular.

A Rescue of the Ages
10/10
Author: Parkor Strongbow from United States
9 November 2012

An Oscar nomination movie for sure. Argo is one of the best movies of twenty twelve and excellently combines historical fact with Hollywood drama. Adding in amazing actors like John Goodman (John Chambers), and Alan Arkin (Lester Siegel) was just a cherry on top. Lastly, the director (Ben Affleck) pulls off the challenging task to make the plot simple and never stops moving.

Predictably, whenever a movie based on true events come out, Hollywood does an amazing job designing a movie with little semblance to what actually happened. However, in Argo the movie stays remarkably close to what actually happened with small parts of added drama; where the plane is taking off and the cop cars are chasing the plane down or when they travel to the market. Even the credits of this movie are worth watching; showing pictures of the Iranians in the streets that have been recreated in the movies paying close attention to minute details.

Furthermore, the acting was superb. Alan Arkin (Lester Siegel) and John Goodman (John Chambers) were able to bring just the right amount of humor and playfulness to a serious movie. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck (Tony Mendez) brought the drama to the movie as the man sent to rescue the American hostages. Finally, the actors for the six Americans that hid in the Canadian embassy displayed an uncanny resemblance to their counterparts right down to their clothing.

On the other hand, Argo does not accurately show several events and people in the story. For example, America had a part but Canada played the main role in the rescue of the Americans. In addition, in the movie the Iranian rioters seem contrived and unrealistic; this demonstrates that director (Ben Affleck) did not either have a) the budget to accurately portray this shot, or b) that this scene was difficult to choreograph giving the nature of where the scene was filmed. However, if you are looking for a great movie and don't mind small miss portrayals then Argo is perfect.

Possibly, one of the hardest things in Hollywood to do is to keep the plot simple to understand and to keep it moving. Nevertheless, Ben Affleck pulls it off keeping the plot easy to follow and gripping. Moreover,with one quote from Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) he capture all the drama of the movie. "Right... Look, I gotta tell you, we did suicide missions in the Army that had better odds than this." Argo, featuring great actors like Alan Arkin (Lester Siegel) and John Goodman (John Chambers) keeps the plot simple and concise while combining Historical fact with Hollywood drama. All in all Argo is a must see thriller.