Argo

People love a crazy true story. So when Ben Affleck decides to make a movie about a real CIA operation involving tricking Iran into thinking that American fugitives are a Canadian film crew, people tend to pay attention. And when he attaches an all-star cast to it, and you might get a good movie out of the deal. You'll get something like Argo.

Argo is about "The Canadian Caper", a CIA operation in which escaped members of the US Embassy in Iran were smuggled out of the country in an elaborate ruse involving a fake sci-fi movie. Ben Affleck, besides  already pulling double duty as producer and director, also plays the film's protagonist, Tony Mendez. In the aftermath of a riot in Tehran that culminates in the raid of the US embassy and the kidnapping of its workers, Mendez devises a plot to rescue six escaped embassy employees that have fled to the Canadian embassy. While the film isn't going to win any awards for historical accuracy, Affleck finds a good balance between the realms of Hollywood thriller and historical drama. Including some shot-for-shot reenactments of actual footage from the crisis, Argo does a great job at capturing the cultural tensions and urgency of the situation.

The biggest draw of Argo by far is its cast of characters. While Affleck's turn as Mendez is a bit boring, John Goodman and Alan Arkin shine as make-up artist John Chambers and producer Lester Siegel. While the character of Siegel is fictitious, that isn't stopping Arkin from being nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. The actors playing the embassy employees were also all fantastic.

My only problem with Argo is that it's just not mind-blowing. There's nothing really wrong with it, but I guarantee that people will be forgetting about this film in five years. There's nothing to it that really makes it remarkable, and for being so laden with accolades, I was expecting something more.

I don't expect Argo to make any real waves at the Oscars tonight, but in a few hours I may eat my words. Regardless, it is a good way to spend two hours of your time. Just don't expect it to be your new favorite movie. I give Argo 8 incredibly tense scenes of downtown Tehran out of 10.