Ben Affleck hits three for three with Argo, a directorial streak that has quickly propelled him to the top of the game, saving his acting career too after a prior string of questionable choices.
Retelling the remarkable true story of a joint CIA-Canadian secret mission to rescue six fugitive American diplomats from a hideout in revolutionary Iran. Tony Mendez (Affleck) hatches a plan to invent a fake movie, and with help from Hollywood earmarks a script, holds a big press reading and puts out the feelers to scout locations in the Middle East. Entering Iran alone, Mendez’s attempt to rescue his fellow countrymen sees them pose as his crew, and after a few public appearances to keep up the charade, at last attempt to flight out. With Iranian forces on alert, however, it’s an even more difficult task than they had ever imagined.
With Affleck leading by example, Argo creates a sense of tension and trepidation you wouldn’t have expected from a true story like this. Though the plot is wholly ridiculous, once it gets going you know what’s going to happen in the end, but that doesn’t harm the experience one bit. Acting across the board is fantastic, with the likes of John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Bryan Cranston playing parts on the right side of the Atlantic.
With awards surely coming in 2013, the sky’s the limit for Ben Affleck right now, and it’s nothing less than he deserves.