It’s a good sign when you watch a film whose ending you know in advance, and still clutch to your seat feeling unsure about the outcome. Ben Affleck demonstrates yet again that his talent as a director is greater than his previous career as an actor (though he does play the lead role in Argo, and does quite well at it.)
Argo takes creative liberty in recreating former CIA officer Tony Mendez's account of the historical rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The production does a great job in preserving the spirit of the time. It further integrates authentic news footage, transforming us to the reality of the crisis. The result is a griping film, a fictional docudrama that unfortunately brings to mind the more recent events at the U.S. embassy in Libya.
The cast is superb and you can leave it to Alan Arkin to decorate a well-written script (by Chris Terrio) with moments of comic relief.