Argo (2012)

Director: Ben Affleck

 It is fascinating to me that this movie got such an enthusiastic critical reception. It's certainly a very good movie, but at the same time it's nothing groundbreaking. Argo is a well-made, very methodical, and well-directed thriller. But that's really all it is, there's no big political or social messages, the characters aren't complex, and the style is pretty standard. It feels like this is exactly how Hollywood should make films, but because Hollywood doesn't, critics found this film to be refreshing. It's too bad that it's a rare thing that well-executed tension filled thrillers are hard to come by. It makes sense then that the movie has a bit of a 1970's vibe, as these types of movies were much more prevalent in the Hollywood system of the 1970's.

The true story itself, if you don't know it already, is also very fascinating and provides much of the joy that comes from the film. Though I think the film makes a serious misstep in the end when we see a scene that is just so unrealistic that people who don't even know the story will know was a fabricated scene. But tension is built because of Affleck's filmmaking, he really knows how to craft a film, though I think he's still looking for that next step. The movie reminded me of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for a variety of reasons, but that film was much better than Argo because there was much more underneath it all. Argo is mostly devoid of real substance, it's just a well made thriller with some entertaining Sorkin-like dialogue and Fincher-lite filmmaking. The movie doesn't do anything special between the lines, it's just a well-made movie for grown ups, but unfortunately that's a rare thing nowadays.

Grade: C+