I don’t think that I enjoyed a movie more this past year than Argo. I realize that is some high praise to give a movie that comes from Ben Affleck and is not a Spielberg, Tarantino or Paul Thomas Anderson movie, but damned if I am not still talking up this movie leading up to the Oscars. Argo for me, might as well have been the movie of the year in my mind, topping all others with it’s fascinating story, intricate details of one the most successful and bizarre rescue attempts, and a compelling array of performances from phenomenal actors. You don’t agree? ARGO GO FUCK YOURSELF! 
Now I knew about the story going into this movie. I knew the outcome because I read the book the movie was based on and had a lot knowledge about what went down, so in theory I shouldn’t be surprised about what unfolds on screen nor really tense about this movie. I have to say, even knowing the ending of the rescue mission, I was still on the edge of my seat (not literally) when it came down to the final 15 minutes of the movie. I couldn’t explain why I felt like that, even knowing what I know, but damn Affleck just nailed it in his directing capabilities. The lead up to the finale perfectly strings us along with a constant state of fear and suspense in terms of keeping the characters on screen under the same uncertainty.
The actors just sold the film for me. Affleck, Arkin, Goodman, and the rest of the hostages in the movie all matched seamlessly with their real world counterpart. Heck the end credits even show you how close to the detail the actors looked like the actual person they were playing. The insane amount of detail in the movie just brings this movie ahead of the pack where the story seems so far fetched that you almost can’t believe that this operation was an actual rescue attempt.
I really don’t want to go on and on about this movie, so this is a perfect lead into my actual review I did for the movie months ago. To say the least, this was easily one of the best movies of the year. Affleck has proven himself again and again with his directorial abilities and his acting is only getting better and better in each of his movies. Arkin and Goodman both bring some much needed levity to the movie with their humor that each play off one another. The story is just something unbelievable as it seemed made for Hollywood storytellers and to think that this was something that our government put into play. If you haven’t seen it in theaters, you are in luck since it is back for the Oscar run and will be out on DVD soon.
Here is an excerpt of my review with a full link provided.
For me, Affleck is three for three with his directing. Argo easily propels itself ahead of Gone Baby Gone and The Town with such a tightly paced, well acted, and tense drama about rescue operation that is so far-fetched in theory that it shouldn’t have worked given the time it took place. This is what makes watching Argo a joy, a rare film where all the absurd pieces of a farce of a rescue are played out in front of us and it still manages to captivate us with its story and results. Even knowing that the outcome of the rescue operation is a complete success doesn’t even diminish the tense scenes where the refuges and Mendez are almost caught by the militants. The acting, setting, and story are all spot on with capturing the frantic struggle to get the workers out of the country with a highly dangerous extraction.
Read more here.
