Month’s back, when I first heard about Ben Affleck’s
latest directorial project, Argo, I thought it was a comedy. At first glance, the material, which was plucked from history after recently being declassified,
was too outrageous to be anything but comical; however, the trailer made it apparent
that this was a very serious movie. After seeing it this past week, I must admit, all the Oscar talk is warranted as it was simply a great movie.
For those who don’t know about Argo, here’s the storyline
as written by Kenneth Chisholm on IMDb: “In 1979, the American embassy in Iran was
invaded by Iranian revolutionaries and several Americans are taken hostage.
However, six manage to escape to the official residence of the Canadian
Ambassador and the CIA is eventually ordered to get them out of the country.
With few options, exfiltration expert Tony Mendez devises a daring plan: to
create a phony Canadian film project looking to shoot in Iran and smuggle the
Americans out as its production crew. With the help of some trusted Hollywood
contacts, Mendez creates the ruse and proceeds to Iran as its associate
producer. However, time is running out with the Iranian security forces closing
in on the truth while both his charges and the White House have grave doubts
about the operation themselves.”
Affleck not only directed the film, he starred as the
aforementioned Mendez. Before I get into Affleck’s acting chops, let me just
say that I think he’s a hell of a director. This was his third major film, which
followed the critically acclaimed Gone Baby Gone (2007) and The Town (2010),
and I’ve been impressed with them all. Affleck has earned my respect as a
director and I look forward to his future projects.
With that said, I’ve always been hesitant regarding Affleck’s
acting abilities. I don’t know why exactly, but I’ve never considered him anything more than a mediocre performer. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve
always been satisfied with Affleck, just never blown away. I liked him in
Reindeer Games, Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, Smokin’ Aces and The Company Men, just
to name a few, but he didn’t perform exceptionally. He didn’t do that in Argo
either, but admittedly his portrayal of Mendez is was fulfilling.
What Affleck did have was a strong supporting cast, and together they
brought the story to life. Alan Arkin and John Goodman did tremendous as two
Hollywood vets who helped bring the film within the film to “life”, and both
are being mentioned for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. I’ve long thought
Goodman was a talented actor, and it’s nice to see him finally get his due. Other stand-out performances were delivered by
Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, who played CIA handler Jack O’Donnell; and Clea Duvall (no relation to Robert Duvall), who played hostage Cora Lijek.
Argo had an interesting storyline anchored in history and
supported by a strong cast. At no point did I feel the film lagged; in fact, I
think Affleck did a stupendous job injecting tension into what were fairly blasé situations. I quickly became invested in the characters and at times it felt as if I was among the hostages trying to escape with my life. It’s
not often that a movie is able to establish that sort of connection.
I was also impressed with the time period modifications.
The film takes place in 1979, and everything was spot on. From the outfits to
technology, a great deal of attention was paid to every detail, which gave the
entire film a sense of authenticity. It also made me wonder how different crises were back in they day without the convenience of cell phones and the Internet.
If you’re looking for an action-packed shoot-em-up film,
Argo’s not for you (I don’t recall a gun being fired in the movie); however, if
you want a top-notch thriller driven by performance, dialogue and suspense, then look no further. Argo is one of the best
films of the year, and I recommend you see it while you can,
Buddies Forever Movie Club Rating: 87%
Good review Chad. Very strong flick, I definitely enjoyed it a lot too. Somehow its missing a little something that would make me rave about it or throw around a lot of superlatives or anything (not that you are), but still, rock solid and highly entertaining.
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