Director: Ben Affleck
Written by: Chris Terrio (screenplay), Joshuah Bearman (article)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Tate Donovan
Genre: Drama | Thriller
MPAA: R
Synopsis: As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
Ben Affleck hits the big screen once again as the star and director of the film “Argo.” Affleck excels in the role of director by keeping the suspense running from beginning to end, while providing accurate historical facts and value. By starting the film with a factual backstory, there is more focus on the characters of the film, establishing a stronger relationship with the audience through each character’s personal struggle. Having the facts disclosed up front also keeps a consistent flow of character development and suspense running simultaneously which makes “Argo” a film that you become easily lost in and forget that it’s just a movie.
“Argo” takes place in the United States and Iran, constantly switching between the two as the CIA works on solutions to rescue the Americans. While the Iran scenes were actually filmed in Istanbul, the look and feel of Iran is established through effective recreation of areas like the Bazaar and historic scenes based on the true events. The U.S. scenes mostly take place in an office setting except for the few scenes in California when creating the fake film. Despite the fact that the setting is mostly indoors, the characters themselves are the focus and their interaction with their surroundings establish the setting as effectively as the cinematography.

The victims are what drive the film

Cranston’s character adds to the panic factor
Overall I would say that “Argo” is a must see. It is one of the most suspenseful films that I have seen in awhile which can be proven by my lack of fingernails after the film ended. There are a variety of great actors and actresses in the film, as well as some notable performances, and an attention grabbing plot that is for the most part historically accurate. I believe that Ben Affleck has found his calling as director and “Argo” may be his best directed film yet. “Argo” is put together extremely well and I find it difficult to find one element of the film I did not like.
Argo – 8.5 out of 10.
Heart pounding suspense that engages you from start to finish…