Dir: Ben Affleck
Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
After the critical success of Gone Baby Gone and The Town, Ben Affleck’s latest offering, Argo, seems set to shed any previous associations as the lead of popcorn flops, and instead establish his reputation as an exciting young actor-director. Argo sees Affleck trade his comfort zone of Boston for revolutionary Iran. After a brief, and bravely honest, prologue outlining the CIA’s involvement in the Middle East leading up to the 1979 Islamic revolution; we are taken to the American embassy under siege by angry protesters who take scores of ambassadors hostage in order to negotiate the extradition of the Shah of Persia from The United States. However, six Americans lay in hiding after managing to escape the embassy, and the CIA must use the most unlikely means to bring them home safely before they are captured, tortured and killed.
Partly a political thriller, and partly a tribute to the close of ‘the decade under the influence’, Affleck’s third feature manages to perfectly juggle scenes of tense CIA agents desperately working with few options and against the clock; American ambassadors attempting to survive amidst the confusion and contempt of the Islamic revolution; and embittered Hollywood bigwigs joking their way through the movie production process. With references to films as diverse as Battle For The Planet Of The Apes all the way down to SSSSnake!, Affleck perfectly captures the cinematic landscape of the time, and allows John Goodman and Alan Arkin the freedom to provide much of the comic relief.
However, the darker side of the plot is also incredibly well directed with stunning precision and historical accuracy (as a post-credits sequence of photographs further highlights). It is testament to Affleck’s ability as a director that a little known, and somewhat predictable, story can be brought to the big screen with such prowess. The unforgettably tense dénouement sees the three separate story arcs and settings dramatically colliding together, and will have every member of the audience on the edge of their seat. Although the final five minutes or so could ultimately be done without, the performers on screen are always a pleasure to be around, and could see themselves in line for accolades come awards season.
8 / 10
