Yes, yes...I finally saw Ben Affleck's Argo. A fictionalized account of a secret operation between the CIA and the Canadian government to rescue six U.S. diplomats trapped in Tehran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, Argo hit film critic circles like a storm last year, winning many awards including the coveted Academy Award for Best Picture. So what did I think of it? Well, I thought it was good. Not Best Picture quality, but good. I wonder if the film would have been so well-received if it hadn't been directed by Ben Affleck. I think a lot of the positive press surrounding Argo had less to do with its merits as a motion picture and more with Affleck's emergence as a credible director. And, to Affleck's credit, Argo is a well-written, expertly shot film. Obviously taking cues from 70's cinema (even using the old Warner Bros. logo in the opening credits), Argo plays like one of the era's great political dramas like All the President's Men (1976). This is a dense, dialogue heavy film that relies on character development and tension more than action and special effects. The opening scene where Iranians storm the American Embassy is particularly masterful. At first there is only a small trickle of people. But then it swells and swells until the Embassy's hallways are flooded with armed protestors like a furious river. Argo is a damn fine film. Did it deserve Best Picture? I don't think so. But I'm not angry that it won, either.
8/10
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