Argo (Non-Spoiler Review)

Ar-go see it! Yes, I am hereby putting my stamp of approval on this nail biting, based-on-true-events, thrilling drama.

If you’re out of the loop with movies these days (like I am) and happened to catch the SAG awards or the Golden Globes then you may have heard (numerous times) about Argo. Argo won Ben Affleck some coveted statues for his directing brilliance and good acting. Then, you might have thought, Hmm...I wonder if it’s any good. Well, I am happy to report that it is.

Argo surprisingly delivers on all aspects of a good movie. For the history buffs, it accurately sets the film in the height of the Iranian revolution which led to the Iranian hostage situation of 1979. Fifty-two Americans were captured while six managed to escape and secretly seek refuge at the home of the Canadian Ambassador (Victor Garber). For the drama queens, you have CIA agent, Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) as an exfiltration expert devising a covert operation to rescue these secret six before they are found by the Iranians. His plan to pose as a Canadian film crew, scouting locations for a fake sci-fi movie was described as the CIA’s ‘best bad idea’ by Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston). John Chambers (John Goodman) and Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) were the resident comedians in this movie and ensured that the comedy fans were also satisfied. Even though it was relatively void of the raw, blow-up-a-city action most movie goers require, I can’t say that I missed it much, as the grab-your-hair-and-tug suspense was enough action for me.

If nothing else, Argo will make you regain all the respect you lost for Affleck back when he did Daredevil and dated Jennifer Lopez. The film was directed beautifully and hit most, if not all, of the marks. Argo was focused on the story at hand. No frills, no gimmicks, yet there was something spectacular about it. Affleck, hands down, is a better director than he is an actor.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this production a lot more than I thought I would. It’s a subdued The Bourne Identity where in place of the I-can-kill-you-with-my-pinkie skills Bourne possesses, Mendez uses his genius to save innocent lives.

I can now honestly say Argo is good. A must-see indeed!

Rating: 8/10

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Kim :)