You'd really hope you could expect a lot from a three-way Oscar winner, and Argo merrily lives up to almost all of those high expectations. With a lightning start out of the blocks, Argo's charm is partly in the attention to the minutia of the detail, and partly to the ludicrousness yet truth of the story (note, the subtleties of 'based on a true story' vs. 'a true story'). It's not often than Hollywood will allow itself to be parodied as badly as it is here, but then it's not everyday when it can claim to be the singlehanded saviour of a group of American embassy workers in a revolutionary Iran. And while that account is not entirely historically accurate (the CIA, US and Canadian administrations and local Canadian ambassador and diplomats did play relatively central roles too) the slight creative license can be relatively easily overlooked. Of more concern, despite the interest at the start, proceedings do get a teeny bit slow towards the middle, though are more then made up for by the end. In actual fact, the level of tension is kept pretty decent throughout, but done with enough care and attention to detail that it doesn't get tiring. What's more, while there are some familiar Hollywood faces present (director and leading man Ben Affleck being one of them), it's pleasing to see them actually blend into the story rather than standing out like the sore thumbed 'big names' that they are. In fact, the way that all the little things work together so seamlessly is probably the biggest reason that Argo has triumphed so magnificently in awards land, and pleasingly, it's easy to see why.
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| There's something worryingly pristine about that suit. No man should be able to wear a jacket without creasing it somewhere... |
| Vital Statistics |
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| Director | Ben Affleck |
| Cast | Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman |
| Length | 120 mins |
| Post Credits Scene | Nothing 'post' as such, but one of the most poignant and beautiful 'true story' credits sequences, that just brings home the reality of the events, and how true to life the film was made to be |
| TFC Mash-Up | Charlie Wilson's War meets a Mad Men / Spooks cross-over episode |
| Star Rating |
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