Argo - Film review

Ben Affleck has had his fair share of detractors over the years. No stranger to the Golden Raspberry awards, he once famously picked up four 'Razzies' in one year for performances in Gigli with Jennifer Lopez, super hero adventure Daredevil, and sci-fi thriller Paycheck.

And the less said about expensive flop Pearl Harbor, the better . . .

But Affleck's more than just a chiselled leading man. He's an all-round Hollywood mogul who not only knows how to write a screenplay, but is able to deliver the goods in the director's chair.

He tops the bill in this tense political thriller, but it is his vision behind the camera which makes this a mini masterpiece.

The story is based on real-life events from 1979, when simmering tensions outside the United States embassy in Tehran finally boiled over.

Militants broke through the barricades and stormed the building, furious at America's refusal to give continued asylum to Iran's former Shah.

"Don't shoot anybody!" orders one guard. "You don't want to be the person who started a war!"

Instead, the attackers capture 52 Americans and hold them hostage. But six members of staff – Bob Anders (Donovan), Joe Stafford (McNairy),

Kathy Stafford (Bishe), Mark Lijek (Denham), Cora Lijek (DuVall) and Lee Schatz (Cochrane)– manage to escape through a basement back door to seek protection in the nearby residence of the Canadian ambassador (Garber).

They hide nervously in a basement, awaiting news from the outside world.

And their world soon revolves around the CIA's chief 'extractor' Tony Mendez (Affleck), who concocts an elaborate scheme to rescue the escapees: he will pose as a film producer who has come to Iran to scout for locations for a fake sci-fi epic called Argo.

The stranded embassy staff will adopt the guise of his crew and leave the country together under false passports.

Bona fide Hollywood producer Lester Siegel (Arkin) and make-up artist John Chambers (Goodman) throw their weight behind Argo to give the plan credibility, and Tony works on creating a back-story which will convince the Iranian customs police.

When he arrives on Iranian soil, though, he questions whether all his smooth talking and experience will be enough.

From the opening scenes inside the stricken Embassy, through tense flashpoints on the streets of Tehran, Argo holds our attention in a vice-like grip.

For all the taut pacing, slick editing and escalating tension, there are also some deliciously light-hearted moments too. And one of Affleck's biggest triumphs is to have allowed the comedy to improve, rather than neutralise the picture.

A sensitive and suitably neurotic cast deliver quality, emotionally wrought performances, with Arkin and Goodman on delicious form as the Hollywood veterans who realise they must spend serious money to create the illusion of a blockbuster in the making.

"If I'm doing a fake movie, it's gonna be a fake hit!" growls prickly Lester.

It's 14 years since Affleck won an Oscar for his screenplay on social drama Good Will Hunting. Don't rule out a best director statuette at next year's Academy Awards for his work on this gripping thriller that keeps us teetering on the edge of our seats for the entire, utterly absorbing two hours.