Argo (2012) review

After his acting career went downhill in the early 2000's, Ben Affleck rebounded not by going in front of the camera but behind it as director with his 2007 Boston thriller 'Gone Baby Gone', which was a huge critical hit. Three years later, Affleck helmed his next big project which was also set in Boston, the crime-thriller 'The Town', which was also well-received by critics. For his third film behind the camera, Affleck leaves Boston and moves to 1979 Iran with Argo, based off of a true story of how the CIA came up with a very risky plan to rescue six Americans who were stuck in the country during the Iranian Revolution. Once again, Affleck proves why he is one of the best directors working today, with a film that is quite different in tone compared to Affleck's previous efforts but is still a well-written, well-acted, and intense thriller.

In November of the year 1979, Iranian revolutionists storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking any Americans that they find as hostages. Six of the American Diplomats escape the attack by exiting out of the back of the building, eventually finding refuge in the home of the country's Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). However, they are still at risk of being captured, leading the CIA to try and figure out a way to get them out of the country. Their ex filtration specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes up with the idea of passing the diplomats off as a Canadian film crew on location working on a science fiction movie. Aided by makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman), producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), and his CIA co-worker Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston), Mendez works at trying to get this fake movie running and to get the diplomats safely out of Tehran.

Argo is quite a different movie compared to 'Gone Baby Gone' and 'The Town' when it comes to its overall tone. Compared to the dark and gritty Boston thrillers that came before, Argo is a more lighthearted thriller that's actually like two films in one. When Mendez is in Hollywood, it's almost like a comedy with some really humorous moments between Mendez, Chambers, and Siegel. But then the movie shifts to Tehran and the suspense grows as Mendez attempts to get the Diplomats out of the country. This leads to the best thing about this movie in that it never gets dull. Probably Affleck's biggest problem going into this film was that because it's based off a true story, many people will already know what had happened. But Affleck utilizes the art of suspense to great effect. No matter what happened (I'm not spoiling anything), there's always the present danger that this plan could not work. The ending in particular is really nail-biting and it keeps you glued to your seat the entire time.

Affleck also once again proves he is a great actor-director, as proven by this film's great cast. In the lead role, Affleck is very reserved and he doesn't try to steal the show. He allows the other members of the cast to shine. Whenever the two of them are on screen, Goodman and Arkin steal the show. Also, in a film with a pretty big cast, Affleck also makes an effort to give enough character development for the right characters, namely the six diplomats. This isn't a case where they are just there to help move the film along. We actually get to know them and we really are hoping they get out of this country. Anytime they leave the comfort of the Canadian Ambassador's house and head out onto to the angry streets of Tehran, anything could lead to trouble.

With Argo, Affleck continues his excellent run as a director, now having made three excellent thrillers over the last few years. In regards to this film, he ditches the cold, dark, and gritty natures of Gone Baby Gone and The Town for a more lighthearted film that has some humorous moments but still maintains a strong sense of tension. As absurd as this 'fake movie' idea may sound, it feels real and we can see how risky this idea is but like they say in the film, it's “the best bad idea they've had by far”. It's another film that we will no doubt see a lot of during awards season. Who knows? Maybe this Ben Affleck directed film might actually get nominated for something other than best supporting actor/actress at the Oscars.

Rating: 5/5!

2012 End of Year Preview: Part 2: October

Welcome back to this 4-part look into the upcoming movies in the final quarter of 2012. This is Part 2 and today we'll be looking into the films coming out during the month of Halloween, October.

*Director Tim Burton's first film of the year, May's 'Dark Shadows', was neither a critical or commercial hit. But Burton isn't done yet this year, as his second film 'Frankenweenie' hits theaters on October 5^th. Like with many of his previous projects, this film is a remake but this remake just so happens to be based off one of Burton's old projects of the same name, a live-action 1984 short film which he made while working for Disney about a young boy who re-animates his dog Sparky back to life after he died. This new version is stop-motion and stars many actors who were in previous Burton films, including Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Martin Landau.

*2008's 'Taken' was one of the first to establish Liam Neeson as a premier action star. He returns to his role of ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills in 'Taken 2'. This new film follows Mills as he travels to Istanbul on vacation with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and wife Lenore (Famke Janssen). Mills soon runs into trouble again when he runs into a group of gangsters looking to enact revenge on Mills for their comrades who he killed in the first film. 'Taken 2' hits theaters on October 5^th.

*Ben Affleck proved that he is a all-star director with the acclaimed Boston thrillers 'Gone Baby Gone' and 'The Town'. For his third directorial effort, Affleck leaves Boston for Iran with 'Argo', which is based off of the true events of a rescue attempt by the U.S. government to save six U.S. diplomats during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, a CIA agent who comes up with a plan to convince Iran that the diplomats are a part of a film crew who are scouting on location for a science fiction movie. The film also stars Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin and will hit theaters on the 12^th.

*For those looking for a comedy, 'Here Comes the Boom', the latest from Happy Madison, comes out the same weekend as Argo. Kevin James stars as a biology teacher who becomes an MMA fighter when budget cuts threaten his school.

*October 19^th sees the release of the latest entry in the highly successful Paranormal Activity franchise, 'Paranormal Activity 4'. While the last two entries in this series were prequels, this is the first true sequel to the original film from 2007. This film follows a young teen and her mother who start to experience strange events in their home when the series' main character Katie, now possessed by a demon, moves in next door with her sister's son Hunter, now called 'Robbie'. Paranormal Activity 3 directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost return to helm this new film.

*That same weekend sees the release of spy thriller 'Alex Cross'. It is the third adaptation of the hit book series of the same name by author James Patterson. The previous two films, 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider' starred Morgan Freeman in the role of Cross. This film stars Tyler Perry as Cross, who fights a serial killer known as 'The Butcher', played by Matthew Fox.

*The final big-name release in October is the much talked about 'Cloud Atlas', an epic adventure film from the creators of 'The Matrix'. Set during multiple time periods, the ensemble cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the 2004 novel of the same name by author David Mitchell and will be released on the 26^th.

Nothing really major in terms of limited releases this month, so that's it for October. Check back soon for Part 3 where we take a look into the month of November.