REVIEW: Argo

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Every time Ben Affleck directs a new film, I’m compelled to mention that I never jumped on the Affleck-bashing bandwagon. Even during the J.Lo days – the nadir of his superstardom – I thought he was an underrated actor who made the mistake of allowing the paparazzi to define him.

That’s why I smile each time he delivers another quality flick. I have no personal stake in the guy’s career, but it’s always nice to see someone stick it to the haters. Affleck could’ve just quit the business and lived off his Daredevil salary for the rest of his life. Instead, he kept his head down, ignored the Gigli jokes and reinvented himself as the best actor-director since Clint Eastwood.

Gone Baby Gone was one of the best directorial debuts in recent memory. Then he topped himself with the crackerjack thriller The Town. Now Affleck has delivered one of 2012’s top films – and the Best Picture frontrunner – with Argo, a fact-based story set during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

Those familiar with history (or who remember watching it unfold on television) know the basic facts of the situation. As the Iranian revolution reached fever pitch, militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. What most people don’t realize is that six embassy employees (played by Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Rory Cochrane, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishe and Christopher Denham) managed to sneak away during the chaos and hide out in the home of the Canadian Ambassador (Victor Garber).

Both the Canadian and American governments figure the Iranians are only days away from discovering people are missing from the embassy. Once the militants identify the escapees, chances are they’ll be brutally murdered to send a message. Canada and the U.S. ask the CIA to help, so the organization turns to its best “exfiltration specialist,” Tony Mendez (Affleck), for an answer to the problem.

What he comes up with is absolutely insane, but Mendez’s boss (Bryan Cranston) tells the higher-ups that it’s the best bad idea they’ve got. With the help of two Hollywood bigwigs (John Goodman and Alan Arkin), Mendez concocts a plan that has him meeting up with the six Americans in Iran and escorting them out of the country using a commercial airline.

How does he plan to walk them right past the military? They pretend to be a film crew looking to use Iran as the location for their cheesy sci-fi movie, of course. If this wasn’t a true story, it would be too farfetched to believe.

Affleck is still a strong actor, which he proves as the film’s lynchpin character. He has scenes with practically everyone else in the movie and holds his own against absolutely stellar performers like Cranston, Goodman and Arkin. Those three guys couldn’t deliver a bad performance if they tried, although they’ve sometimes been the best parts of otherwise terrible movies. That’s not the case here at all; they bring their considerable talents to Chris Terrio’s practically flawless screenplay.

Where Affleck demonstrates tremendous growth is in his skills as a director. He has made significant jumps in quality with each effort, and his work here is simply astonishing. I can’t believe it’s only his third time behind the camera. He tackles the politically complex material in a way that makes it accessible to mainstream audiences, and he balances the tense scenes in Iran with hilarious showbiz satire.

The Hollywood scenes are a welcome reprieve from the action unfolding in Iran, giving moviegoers a chance to indulge in some nervous laughter before things get stressful again. And boy does Affleck know how to induce anxiety.

Even though I knew exactly how the situation was going to turn out (President Clinton declassified Mendez’s mission in 1997, so the details are public knowledge), I was on the edge of my seat for the last 30 minutes of the movie. And I’m not resorting to clichés – I was literally leaning forward in my chair and holding my breath. A movie hasn’t worked my nerves like that since The Hurt Locker.

Argo is a fast-paced, entertaining story crafted by a confident filmmaker who is only getting better as he gains experience. If you still think of Affleck as the punchline to a very old joke, do yourself a favor and visit a theater this weekend. You’ll be shocked by how quickly the movie changes your perception of him.  

Argo is rated R for language and some violent images.

Grade: A