[8]

Score another point for Ben Affleck. I never much cared for him as an actor, but between this film and 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, the guy has shown us some serious directing chops. Argo is the true story of how the U.S. Government worked with Hollywood to rescue six Americans who escaped the U.S. Embassy during the 1980 Iranian hostage crisis. Affleck plays the CIA agent assigned with saving the six Americans, which he does by creating a fake movie that alleges to do location scouting in Iran. Once in Iran, the hiding Americans join the CIA agent and pose as the film company, praying no one identifies them or blows their cover until they’re safely on the plane and out of Iranian airspace.

From the tense opening fifteen minutes depicting the opening attack on the embassy to the nail-biting airport finale, Affleck maintains momentum throughout Argo. It’s riveting, fascinating, incredibly true, and and even a little funny. Most of the comic relief is provided by Alan Arkin and John Goodman, who play a Hollywood producer and an award-winning makeup artist who help make the phoney movie (a cheesy Star Wars rip-off called Argo) feel as real as possible. They option the screenplay, cast the film, put out news stories and poster advertisements in Variety — everything to convince Iranian officials the film is real. (Goodman’s character, John Chambers, even went on to help the CIA in additional missions, creating life-like makeup prosthetics that helped sneak wanted people through enemy territory in Vietnam and other political hotbeds.) The cast also includes Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Victor Garber (Titanic), Tate Donovan, and Clea Duvall.

Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Arkin), Best Music Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing