Movie Review: Argo

In this gripping, yet quite historical, drama thriller, we get a insight on one of the most important and dangerous hostage crisis of the Iranian and Canadian history. Argo, a dramatization of a very real event about how CIA operative Tony Mendez rescues six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, was defiantly the Oscar contender it was meant to be. The film stars Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez, who also directed and produced the film. Supporting roles include John Goodman as John Chambers, a make-up artist who aides Mendez, Alan Arkin as film producer Lester Siegel, and Bryan Cranston as Mendez's supervisor Jack O'Donnell. Mendez, along with his allies, works to rescue the six U.S diplomats who are forced to take refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran, after escaping an civilian invasion at the U.S Embassy. To do so, Mendez decides to become a fake film crew and travel to Iran to search for landmarks to film near. Mendez and his team create the film "Argo", a science fiction film similar to Star Wars, in order to build their cover story.
 

Argo was overall a good movie, keeping me on the edge of my seat with the thrilling troubles of these hostage victims and the people trying to save them. Ben Affleck, the leading man on and off screen, stole the show as he showed his portrayal of the dedicated CIA agent, Tony Mendez. Being an Oscar winner, I knew going in that this film would blow me away. I'm not usually into the old "Based on true events" films, but this one was pretty good on keeping you on the edge. After seeing this one, I quickly made it my "duty", I would say, to see every Oscar contender there was this year. So, after seeing Les Mis already, I planned on seeing Zero Dark Thirty this weekend and Life of Pi sometime along the way.

Argo proved that it could be a dramatic thriller, but also add a bit of comedy along the way. Alan Arkin portrayed a sort-of "too old for this" kind of character with his grouchy attitude and easy annoyance. Either way, the supporting cast was excellent in telling the story and letting the audience know who these characters really were. Now, when it comes to the plot itself, Affleck did an amazing job at making the scenes extra suspenseful for us watching. My favorite part in the film would probably be the last 10 or 20 minutes or so, when the six diplomats are trying to board a plane back to the U.S. This scene is extra suspenseful because, unless you knew that they were going to make it home unharmed, you were probably biting your nails in fear that, at any moment, they were going to get caught or killed. The film ends with the diplomats, along with Mendez, racing to board the plan as the Iranians who let them pass earlier try to track them down before they exit the country. This film was very good at keeping you on the edge of your seat, with the capturing of the American hostages at beginning to the final escape of the diplomats at the film's conclusion.
 

I gave this film a 9 out of 10 because it was a successful thriller, while also keeping true to the actual events that change a nation. Ben Affleck is a truly gifted actor, while also being a truly Oscar-worthy director.  

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