Ed's Review Dot Com

Warner Bros. Pictures, GK Films, Smoke House,

Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Zeljko Ivanek, Titus Welliver, Keith Szarabajka, Bob Gunton, Richard Kind, Taylor Schilling, Adrienne Barbeau

Back in 1979, relations with Iran were really bad. The Ayatollah had taken power, and they were furious that the US was harboring the deposed Shah. They wanted him returned and hung. A crowd of terrorists overran the US Embassy and took everyone hostage. Six people managed to slip away and escaped to the Canadian embassy and remained as hidden guests of the Canadian ambassador. The CIA set out to rescue them before the Iranians found out about them. They concocted a plan to pretend to make a movie while all the while helping these people to escape Iran. Argo was selected by the Academy as Best Picture for 2012.

I remember when these events happened. We were encouraged to send a letter to the Canadian government thanking them for the rescue of our hostages. All of the credit went to the Canadians for their work. This was mentioned in the movie as the CIA who actually hatched this plan, could not take any credit for it. Until now. This movie is really the Ben Affleck show. Is it the best film of 2012? I don’t think so. I really think Lincoln was robbed. But it is an exiting story. Perhaps Affleck is guilty of taking on too much all at once, although he must be really proud of the awards that this film garnered. But it was a teensy bit of a disappointment for me. It seems that the best moments of the movie are all in the clips that we have already seen. Also, since this is a real event, it’s hard to generate a lot of suspense because we already know the outcome. All they can tell us is some of the details in the middle. However, it’s a film that you should watch, just for the historical value. John Goodman and Alan Arkin did a good job, and added to the atmosphere of the film. They have one great scene near the end that is really cool. Victor Garber is the Canadian ambassador, and he always is good in this kind of role. All in all it’s a good story and it’s well worth taking the time to watch it. Just don’t go in with expectations too high, as you might, like me, feel a bit let down.

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