Argo

Hollywood did itself proud to award this perfectly-crafted thriller the Academy Award for 2012. It's guaranteed to have you at seat's edge, so knotted up that you'll be constantly looking at your watch not out of boredom but to be assured that the unbearable tension can't go on forever.Graham Greene was a writer who distinguished between his deep, soul-searching works and his who-dunnit-style mysteries, calling the former "literature" and the latter "entertainments." "Argo" definitely shines as a stellar example of the latter. Unlike the socio-theological examination of life that we get from "There Will Be Blood" or "No Country for Old Men" (or, for that matter, Shakespeare's tragedies), "Argo" pieces together an historical moment with such resourceful precision that we can only marvel at the craft of the director, which manifests a restraint, patience and attention to detail comparable to that of the Iranian children whom we witness piecing together the evidence of what we're seeing from the thousands of strips that have been confiscated from the overrun American Embassy.In the script John Goodman, while helping Affleck construct the ruse that will permit him to free six Americans, calls directors stupid know-nothings, assuring Affleck that the American posing as a director has the easiest role of all. At the end of the film, when the plane is finally off the ground, that individual playing a film director approaches the real director, Affleck, and extends his hand as a gesture of thanks and admiration. As viewers we might do the same. However it was done, "Argo" is at once a delicate balance and an infinitely complex mosaic of small pieces. Yet, in the grand Hitchcock manner, nothing is wasted, nothing is gratuitous. Every piece fits so well that for two hours we return to a moment in Iran in 1979. If we leave the theater none the wiser, we also leave it marveling at where we have just been and what we have just seen. Acting, spectacle, film scoring--all of these components of a movie are strangely irrelevant in "Argo." All we're left with is the film. There is absolutely no room for clutter.We knew going in that Jason's journey was sheer fantasy and that the movie within the movie ("Argo") was a sheer ruse. Yet we need no convincing that the "Argo" we've just experienced was as real and believable as a film can be. If Affleck's Argo played somewhat loose with the facts, it proves no less compelling than the mythological Argo--or the deception that proved successful to the mission. In fact, the film succeeds because of the believability of 3 Argo's: the mythological story that has captivated readers for many centuries; the film fantasy concocted to contrive a release of the prisoners; the film we have just viewed and experienced for two breathless hours.There are three definitions of film that in my experience account for the compelling power of this art form to strike the sparks of truth from the stuff of imagination. Orson Welles' "Ribbon of Dreams" is not nearly as flimsy and fantastical as it may initially appear. From the scenario proposed by Affleck's character to the blocking out of characters and action, the entire project hung explicitly on cinema's hold on the imagination, its power to engage the viewer in a willing suspension of disbelief no less "real" than the most vivid dream or nightmare. Second is Jean Luc Godard's definition, "film is truth 24 times a second," reminding us that film in our post-Einstein quantum-mechanical world of the "dynamic" comes closer to representing a reality that is always changing, capturing our present experience more accurately than any form that restricts meaning to a "Bergsonian, knife-edge instant."But it finally is Siegfried Krackauer's definition of film that brings to film its moral compass while emphasizing the awesome responsibility of the filmmaker. At its best, film has the potential, beyond any other visual form, of being a "redemption of physical reality." The very last words of the film, some of the first from a recognizable public figure, are those of Jimmy Carter, who validates all that we have just seen, providing that final piece of evidence (while satisfying Krackhauer's requirement) that we need to make Argo more than a myth, a story, even a movie. It's an historical experience, one that has been saved from all the competing "noise" in politics, war and history to resonate in our imaginations long beyond the lives of any of its participants, creators, and possibly even later participants.Post-script: seeing "Argo" during the Easter season and in view of Krackauer's contention, I couldn't help but muse over film's redemptive quality in relation to the Incarnation and Resurrection. Conclusion: film can preserve the miracle of the Incarnation, representing figures who appear to represent a supernatural, or spiritual, ancestry. It cannot however work in the reverse direction, however, suspending the physical and temporal world of experience for the sake of representing the supernatural. The same lens that verifies the fleshliness of the spiritual is powerless to demonstrate the spiritual component of the physical world. In fact, there is no film director, no medium, no church, no creed, no book, no tradition capable of making the case for the divine in the material world. As Tennyson puts in, "There lives more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds." Proof of the resurrection, in fact, demands doubt in the evidence of the eye, the ear, the mind--with respect to the existence of the divine the material world is a dark veil of ignorance penetrable only by the individual's spiritual eye of belief.

The extended cut of the film is excellent! The bonus material is all first rate if you are a history buff like me.

Not only are the story and the acting excellent but it is wonderfully filmed. I have watched it many times and I enjoyed every time I watched. I liked knowing Ben Affleck majored in Middle Eastern studies.

Fantastic movie. Makes you want to fact check the story. Ben Affleck does an excellent job of acting. Good for younger kids too, though there is some strong language - but then again, if I were stuck in Iran during the Revolution, I'd be using strong language too.Recommended for kids who understand history and up - maybe 11/12 and up.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but to all those who love to leave negative reviews because a movie is not completely "factual", you're really wasting the fingers you're using, and probably some under-the-breath muttering, as you're typing your review. Any time you see a movie that says "based on real events" doesn't mean it's going to be 100% factual. Why oh why does anyone EVER expect ANY Hollywood movie to be? I've said it before, and I'll say it again. IT'S JUST A MOVIE FOLKS!!!If you can go into this movie with that in mind, then you just might enjoy it, or at the least, be interested in the content enough to seek out a documentary about the actual Iran hostage crisis the movie's based on to learn the historical facts if you don't already know them. Then again, there are those out there who can never be pleased and have to pick apart and tear down a movie based on either one scene or every little nit-picking thing they can about it. All I can say to that is you must not be much of a movie lover if you have to do that in my view.This movie was TERRIFIC!. It moved along at a perfect pace with impeccable timing of each scene as the story unfolded, and it was extremely tenacious, tensely dramatic, and very, very well acted and depicted. The musical score was perfect as well as everything about the '79-80 backdrop (back when I was in my early 20's). If you hadn't known that this was a 2012 production, you might have thought you were watching a movie made in the late 70's, as the cinematography could not have been more realistic. I felt like I was there throughout the entire movie.I was especially impressed with the "underplayed" characterization by Ben Affleck (otherwise referred to as "emotionless" by another reviewer), which I actually found quite refreshing in all honesty. I thought the restraint that he probably had to exercise as an actor to portray this CIA operative was exactly what was called for, and that is was, in all likelihood, accurate in keeping with the real-life person he portrayed. He was neither unemotional nor too emotional; which made his acting nothing less than brilliant to me.Contrary to what others might say, I didn't think anything was over-the-top in this movie either; not even the scene which negative reviewers are eluding to about the run-way scene. How else would you expect that scene to play out? It was completely and totally necessary to the suspense, IMHO, therefore complimenting the scene as it should without dragging on forever. I thought I would have a heart attack before that plane got off the ground, and I burst into tears when the "all clear" finally came. To pull that off in a movie where the viewer knows what the outcome is going to be speaks volumes to me!The entire film was perfectly built up, played out, and extremely riveting, thrilling, and suspenseful in the final scenes. The acting was spot-on at every turn, from all the leads to everyone cast as extras in the crowd of chanting Iranians and droves of supporting actors. You could really feel the crowd's totally understandable ire (from their perspective at least) from the very beginning until the end, as well as the angst of the hostages being rescued and their reservations about pulling off a terrifying feat necessary to their escape. The comedic portions, most especially with John Goodman and Alan Arkin of course, are priceless too. And you've GOT to love Bryan Cranston; especially if you know him from "Breaking Bad".I watched the Oscars recently and hadn't seen any of the movies nominated for best film of the year. This is the first, and I will try to see the others ASAP, but I do believe it will be difficult to top this one; which really leads me to believe that this film truly deserved the Academy Award that Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov (all as producers of the movie) received for it. I might add that Affleck has also really come into his own as a director which is clearly evident in this film. I think it's probably one of the most well-made movies I've seen in a very long time, so I can't recommend it any higher.

The item was delivered on February 6, 1 day late, but in excellent condition as far as I could judge. It was a gift for someone else, whose birthday was Feb. 6, though she left for a shirt trip on Feb. 5. Thus, Feb. 5 would've been best, but I'd previously given her a few other DVD's/Blu-rays from another order which she got on time. She wouldn't have had time to watch this particular movie on a timely basis, anyway. But, as Ben Affleck is a favorite of hers, his face on the product was a big deal.

Solid cast doing what they do best. Have watched several times for family movie nights with teens - seniors. Enjoyed by all.

Love this movie. Really well done historical movie.

As 2 hours of entertainment - this is outstanding. It has high drama, almost unbearable tension, some sparkling dialogue and lovely humour. Affleck has done a great job as an actor and director. Late 70s USA and I suspect Iran are shown so well its as if someone had found a time machine. Alan Arkin and John Goodman are great as two cynical but clever Hollywood operators given the chance to do some good.It should be 5 stars, but a point has to be knocked off for the usual shameful riding roughshod over the real facts, which wouldn't appear to add to the story greatly but do make the US look better. Yes its based on a true story but as with all these films it takes itself very seriously and is happy for people to take it as fact (which many people do of course) If you can stomach or ignore this - then its highly recommended.

It's not often a film gets a 5* review from me; there's usually something not quite right or room for improvement. Argo nearly warrants a top star rating. I'm always sceptical about movies nominated for loads of Oscars as often they're just jingoistic flavour-of-the-month or hyped by a well funded PR campaign (witness `The Hurt Locker'). In the case of Argo the recognition of a job well done is mostly deserved. Ben Affleck the actor seems to be improving & maturing with each successive movie, but in his return to directing since the disappointing `The Town' he has taken a refreshingly un-Hollywood approach to attention to detail and production values.I'm old enough to remember the events first-hand (though admittedly it was a long time and a lot of wine ago) but I was pretty shaky on the detail but the introductory `history lesson' using real and cleverly faked footage from the time made sure that we were fully aware of the context of the crisis. What we, and everybody else at the time, were unaware of was the CIA's and Hollywood's improbable involvement in the repatriation (or `exfiltration' as they seem to call it) of a group of escaped hostages. However, the alleged historical veracity has suffered, as usual, at the hands of the Hollywood machine. Just a brief bit of Google'ing shows how actual events have been subverted by the convenient `based on a true story' subtitle. The role of the British was completely ignored (just what have the Yanks got against us?) and the role of the Canadians was downplayed significantly.This could have easily been one of those slow, stodgy films that take themselves far too seriously but there's just the right undercurrent of light humour in the Hollywood proceedings and the casting of Alan Arkin and the irrepressibly good humoured John Goodman was inspired. Despite the American penchant for re-writing history for their own shallow glorification this is still a splendidly watchable film and we shall undoubtedly re-watch it many times.

An entertaining, enthralling, often gripping portrayal of a real event, a CIA operation that relied on a bizarre deception. I knew of the story because of the involvement of my all-time favourite comic book artist, Jack Kirby. As part of the plot, the CIA needed to produce a convincing fake film production called Argo. To lend a sense of reality to it, they used a group of designs that Jack Kirby had done for a proposed sci-fi theme park based on the novels of Roger Zelazny.Ben Affleck, who also directs, is great as the agent tasked with pulling off this unlikely rescue of a group of American diplomatic staff trapped in Iran after the fall of the Shah. The rest of the cast are equally good and Affleck's direction is assured, nicely building the tension and cleverly blending documentary footage into the mix.Excellent.

A very convincing film from Ben Affleck who both stars in this film and directs also. I did notice George Clooney is listed as a Co-Producer of this film. I think Ben Affleck should have talked Clooney into doing a cameo role in this story.A film based on true events and the pace of Affleck's direction is faultless, you will be taken along with this story and Ben Affleck's character is a super cool CIA Operative who takes his very dangerous work...in his stride.The acting of everyone is believable...Alan Arkin being an over the top Film Producer, who swears constantly..(some of them do) I think he was in his element...having seen some of these people first hand.A good film, very entertaining...and Ben Affleck is showing his considerable Directing Talent.

I had no idea what this film was about and therefore, watched it with no preconceptions. I absolutely loved it!! As I had no idea about the story, even though it is based on true events, I had no idea what the outcome would be. To say I was on the edge of my seat is an understatement. I even found myself talking to the tv, I was so engrossed. I can't say that this film is for everyone, but if you enjoy films based on true stories and are looking for something understated, yet thrilling, this is for you. Until the very end, I was still unsure how it would pan out. Great buy!