Friday, November 16, 2012

At the Movies: ‘Argo’


By Brian Thomas
Cardinal Staff

The critically acclaimed film Argo starring Ben Affleck (The Town), Bryan Cranston (Emmy Award winning actor from AMC’s Breaking Bad) and John Goodman (The Artist) manages to please its audience without complicating its plot.

Based on actual events, Argo is the amazing story about a CIA mission to rescue six Americans held captive during a conflict with Iran and the people who were brave enough to make it happen.

In true Hollywood fashion, a CIA operative played by Affleck hatches a plan to film a movie in order to disguise the hostages as the production crew and safely transport them out of the country. The film’s best moments come during the planning and setup of the mission in hilarious exchanges between veteran actors John Goodman and Alan Arkin. They both portray Hollywood big shots that use their connections to assist the CIA.

If a movie is being made about a CIA mission, it is a success. The overall execution of the plotline and script accompanied by superbly acting by the all-star cast. Affleck, who stars and directs this spy-thriller, manages to display the key roles of a real event and capture the raw emotions of each character. He once again shows that he belongs in the same conversation with Hollywood’s elite directors with his other films, especially his The Town in 2012.

The very fact that the CIA approved a mission like this may raise some eyebrows of the American people, but the film itself will warm the hearts of moviegoers around the nation. With a certified fresh rating of 95 percent approval from the movie critic site RottenTomatoes.com, audiences are guaranteed to enjoy it. 

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