Argo

It’s been a long time since a movie has made us want to pee our pants as bad as this one. We’re joking, but there’s no doubt that the last 25 minutes will leave your heart pounding and your nails cut to the quick. And when the credits start to roll you think to yourself: that movie magic really happened.

Now we’re not joking: Argo is set in 1979 in the wake of Islamic militants taking over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Most people know the story of 52 American Embassy employees being taken hostage; this film follows what happens to the six workers who escaped and are now hiding in the Canadian ambassador’s home. CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck, who also directed) must now smuggle them out of Iran with the best-worst plan he’s got: pose as a Canadian film crew on a location scout for a sci-fi movie. Not exactly low profile.

Ben Affleck, having previously worked exclusively on a Bostonian canvas (Gone Baby, Gone, The Town), finally branches out to an international landscape.  As was the case with his past films, Argo’s success lies not with Affleck’s acting, but with his work behind the camera.

Don’t get us wrong, the acting was sterling—as to be expected with a cast featuring John Goodman (O’Brother Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), and Alan Arkin (with a particularly delicious sense of snark). However, Argo’s navigation through the mob mentality helps elevate it to new cinematic heights.

The film immerses the audience in both the Iranian and American consciences, playing on the basal emotions so prevalent in times of crisis. Frustration, fear, patriotism, loyalty, and paranoia irreconcilably clash, resulting in a volatile timbre than rings throughout the film.  Affleck also cleverly weaves his narrative through the use of different news mediums, acting as an objective specter to the harsh political climate. 

The film has its comedic moments to be sure, but none of this even begins to distract from the tension of the situation. Argo’s attention to detail in its total recreation of the politics and anxiety is striking and spellbinding, cementing is as one of the top thrillers of the year.  The real question now is, when ARE you gonna GO see Argo?