Directed by:
Ben AffleckScreenplay:
Chris TerrioCinematography:
Rodrigo PrietoComposer:
Alexandre DesplatCast:
Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
When militants seize control of the U.S. embassy in Tehran during the height of the Iranian Revolution, CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) creates a fake Hollywood production in order to fool the terrorists into releasing a group of U.S. diplomats in this Warner Bros. docudrama based on actual events. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
Affleck didn't disappoint again. This time his work may not have that much panache and the viewer has to endure the first half of the film without any emotional basis for the events rather than experience them, but the final, one could say riveting, passage convinced me to give it a high rating and especially about Affleck's qualities as a director. A well-drawn tense situation, a beautiful period atmosphere, a surprisingly decent performance by Affleck and pleasant allusions to the deceitfulness and depravity of the movie industry, all this against a backdrop of a great escape that, in the end, had me completely engrossed and keeping my fingers crossed for the heroes as much as I have done for any film in a long time. Plus the necessary dose of clichés and the mandatory diversion towards the audience, which increased the dynamism and impact of the climax. My Oscar favourites this year may have been made of completely different dough, but Affleck rocked the academics in such style that he couldn't possibly lose. Patriotism is highly addictive, especially when it’s portrayed with such quality. "Argo, fuck yourself!"
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Argo is based on the serious topic of Americans whose lives are in danger as they are stranded in Iran, sensitively lightened up by a playful Hollywood approach. The director’s craftsmanship is excellent; Ben Affleck is growing up. The clichéd scenes in the last third are probably not an accurate depiction of the actual events, but they fit well in the film’s concept, where a reallife political problem is resolved at the last minute by means of Hollywood heroism reminiscent of a comic book. Argo is visually polished and has a great cast and period atmosphere, as well as fantastic music by Alexandre Desplat.
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Not the event of the season - American critics and audiences must logically be enthusiastic about a film that is not foolishly simplistic, but at the same time is able to maintain popular schemes and a certain "power-film" patriotism. From my point of view, I appreciate the clever and functional montages (reading the Argo screenplay / drastic scenes from Iran - the heist parallel "escape planning / pursuit procedure"), the famous self-defeating humor of the Hollywood storyline and the escape sequence shot exclusively in detail and semi-details - retro styling and camera movement by Rodrigo Prieta are a pleasure in and of themselves. However, after a "problematic" political introduction, Argo finally capitulates to the tried-and-true schemes, but this does not degrade the fact that Ben Affleck made another uniquely-crafted film, which I "purely enjoyed".
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I am very glad that Ben Affleck realized quite early on that he is not such a good actor, but that he might have talent for other professions in the film business. In 1998, he discovered that he has a talent for screenwriting because he won an Oscar for the screenplay of the film "Good Will Hunting" together with Matt Damon. What surprised the whole world even more was the fact that Ben is a great director. He proved it with his first film "Gone Baby Gone", and even more so with the film "The Town", but perhaps the most surprising thing was when he finally ventured outside of the city and surprised both critics and audiences with the film "Argo". More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/argo-2012-85.html
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A precise picture. Ben leaves nothing to chance, unlike the Yankees on this operation. He knows very well what he can and can’t get away with. It’s not such a blockbuster as for instance The Town, but even so, Argo is pretty original, ingenious and historically accurate. Ben’s acting is rather dry, not attracting attention to himself (maybe a bit of a shame), but he’s still cool. In terms of acting, no problems with this movie. De-restricted material about how some non-existing dumb sci-fi saved lives will shut the mouths of people who badmouth sci-fi fantasy movies for being irrelevant. Argo is one of those irresistibly cheap combos of Star Wars and John Carter that has something to say to people in this century too. A bit of a problem is contrasting sprightly Hollywood (still with the old, tumbledown sign - the period accuracy is spot on) and Iran where a city-slicker hangs from the crane by his necktie. In any case, it’s a quality genre movie and I can’t wait for another movie with Ben. Argo fuck yourself.
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Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures
![Argo - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/164/187/164187179_a96b63.jpg)
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