I went to see ‘Argo’ last night with my South African pal due to the Oscar vibe. How is the Ben Affleck of Ben Affleck-directed films the same Ben Affleck of acting yore? This is the third of the films he has directed that I’ve watched and enjoyed (if you haven’t already, check out his stunning directorial debut ‘Gone Baby Gone’. and his later ‘The Town’).... I suppose I should have seen this coming – he won Best Screenplay Oscar for ‘Goodwill Hunting’ so many years ago.
Actually, the word ‘enjoyed’ does not do last night’s experience justice. It was brilliant. No great action sequences, lots of talking, but a hugely compelling narrative that manages to mix wry humour and funny (but realistic) one-liners with intense suspense. Although I could guess the outcome (it’s a matter of public record), the journey to it was a joy to experience – an especially gripping last 40 minutes. Affleck does not hog the camera – he allows the other characters their camera time and chance to shine in the spotlight. Affleck gets a particularly good supporting turn from Bryan Cranston as his boss with a cuttingly witty tongue (“But sir, how do we find out where he is?” “We should be able to do that. We [CIA] are a spy agency for goodness sake!”).
And the details and decor are just the right side of gratuitous to evoke the time period (Star Wars memorabilia chain-smoking, haircuts, beards and moustaches). Final words of explanation of immediately subsequent and resolution events were presented above the Star Wars characters that had inspired the story; although not subtle, this worked perfectly. Also, the half of the cinema that insisted on leaving immediately the credits started rolling missed out on Jimmy Carter’s take on the historical events.
I recommend this movie!!