Disappointment for a huge fan!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

When I first saw the review, I made up my mind to not watch this movie. I however changed that thought when one of my friends who also is a fan of movies - praised it. I would say it to be overrated by critics. I mean three Oscars, it was showered with unnecessary praise. I don't hype about it much but I consider Oscars to be overrated. Despite that one would still find comfort in having one. The story is thin lined I mean it would be the truth but only one person is dispatched to take out six people out of Iran after all the planned mumbo-jumbo. If it's the truth it's okay, but on scale of entertainment it fall's.

I will not engage on the historical fallacies of the movie, in spite of being Canadian. There's enough about that already.In fact, all of this polemics hides the fight that it's a pretty average movie right there. Sure, it was well-directed, well-acted, well-shot etc - you know, Hollywood at its best, but the history had no twist, and the suspense (represented by the apparation of women dressed in black) was minimal. It wasn't stylish and reeked of Islamophobia. In fact, the "Argo" movie they used as a pretext looked miles more interesting. Now that's a movie I would want to see.And yes, there's a couple of nice scenes here and there, but this could easily have been a direct-to-TV film - I just don't see what the hype is about. It won Oscars? Seriously?

Argo is a film that suitably fits in the category of films that tackle real-life events and captures them with electrifying precision and grit, and it is Ben Affleck who is taking the director's chair. With 2007's 'Gone Baby Gone' and 2010's 'The Town' stamped on his resume, Affleck proves himself as a filmmaker fueled with astonishing directorial virtuosity It is little to no wonder he was the perfect choice of this political thriller, a briskly-paced, suspense-driven rendition of the stranger-than-fiction real-life event that marked an unlikely collaboration with Hollywood and the U.S government in effort to execute one of the most daring rescue missions performed in history. The central role of the film is the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981, a world-rocking event that not only marked the beginning of the blood-drenched tensions between the United States and the Middle East but shattered with distressing effects that still linger today. Of course, like most cinematic interpretation of historical events, the film is not empty of wielding creative liberties at the expense of significant historical accuracy. Affleck's depiction of the event has been held in the crossfire of controversary, with many deeming it as either exaggerated or fabricated from what really took place. However, that is nothing to take away from how grippingly entertaining it is. Set during the final decade of the Cold War, Affleck takes the lead role of Tony Mendez, a CIA agent who was approached by the agency to rescue six Americans who were hostage in the U.S Embassy in Tehran, Iran in 1979 in the heat of a political uprising before taking refuge at the home of the Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor (played by Victor Garber). Knowing that they would eventually be found and captured to be taken in public execution if they stayed there any longer, Mendez collaborated with Hollywood producer Lester Siegal (played by Alan Arkin) and make-up artist John Chambers (played by John Goodman) came up with a plan that was far out of the ordinary: pose as a Hollywood producer under a fake name and disguise the hostages as his film crew in search for location to shoot a fake science-fiction movie titled "Argo" in an effort to sneak them through an airport ran by angry-faced, gun-wielding guards. Intertwining the story is his supervisor Jack O'Connell (played by Bryan Cranston) who along with his colleagues keep contact with Mendez during his dangerous mission. Curious to what the Iranian revolution was about? It was about rebelling against the Pahlavi dynasty under the ruling of Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi who was upheld by President Jimmy Carter. Swiping from the pages of the Tony Mendez's memoir 'The Master of Disguise' and Joshuah Bearman's memoir 'The Great Escape', this film, written by Chris Terrio, paints an authentic picture of the real-life events while appropriately masquerading as a tension-fueled race-against-the-clock thriller defies against the typical tropes of an espionage thriller. Ben Affleck shows he has an ambitious eye for detail and a heart for a palpable atmosphere that plays a major role in delivering the emotional touch for each scene taking place within the violent, dirty, socially unrest environment of Iran. He effectively lands the look of a period set in 70s and early 80s, and the intertwining of archive footage of President Jimmy Carter and news footage help set both the political and emotional tone. He also bravely exhibits with talent in front of the camera with a performance that, while proficient, doesn't quite mark one of his most memorable roles. It is his directorial efforts that takes the crown. He proves himself capable of staging each scene with a vivid eye for detail, and his effort pay off especially well for the final thirty minutes when Tony Mendez must lead the hostages through an airport where Iranian guards are watching with bold eyes, locked and loaded. The entire scene, crafted with captivating, you-are-there hand-held cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto, scorches with suspense as the atmosphere boils with arresting fear of what will happen if they get caught. On the other hand, there are moments of levity offered by John Goodman and Alan Arkin in scenes showing their time at the Hollywood studios as well as moments of their collaboration with Ben Affleck with their running gag line "Argo f**k yourself". Argo is an electrifying, tautly crafted political thriller that bears powerful evidence that Ben Affleck holsters plenty of talent behind the camera as much as in front of the camera, perhaps even more so. The film is entertaining, smart, and rarely bears a dull moment. If the fictional liberties of the event don't bother you, you are in for a gripping, if not remarkable cinematic ride. In conclusion, it stands tall as one of 2012's best motion pictures.

I don't like to believe the myth that Hollywood loves movies about itself, but this movie proves that myth true better than any other I've seen. It's a cool story for sure, but it gets too wrapped up in the premise of making a fake movie. There is a lot of time spent shooting down other ideas and going through the process of publicizing a fake movie. It was necessary and sometimes entertaining to see, but it could have taken up less time. Even the "Argo f--- yourself" line adds to sense that the movie is rather full of itself.What I found more interesting was the details of the plan to rescue the six Canadians. Ben Affleck's character Tony is at his best when he's trying to get the hostages to buy into his plan and working to get them home. There was a much more human element to it, and they were more in line with what I think is more of the purpose of movies that are based on real events. When events are described in the news or in many historical books, it is easy to forget that they are about real people with real stakes, and dramatizations of such events help to put those sorts of things into better perspective. Argo is paced much faster and made a bit more entertaining than most non-fictional movies, but it neglects its characters for the most part.For these reasons, I don't agree with it winning the Best Picture Oscar. There was too much that could have been better, and a little too much narcissism laced into it. Perhaps someone who really enjoyed it could convince me of its value and quality, but I find it to be overrated and not true to itself. Overall Rating: 7.2/10.