Argo

Believe it or not, this is based on a true story. It's 1980, and the USA is in a spot of bother. The American embassy in Iran has been stormed, and hostages taken. Six escaped and are hiding in the Canadian ambassador's house. The only trouble is how to get them out of Iran, who are now publicly executing Americans. The solution? A fake sci-fi film called Argo.

Ben Affleck practices his look of deep concern.

The film is a triumph, from the off we fear for the six Americans stranded in a country that's baying for their blood. The tension builds at an almost unbearable rate until the nail-biting climax. Plus, surprisingly, it's fairly balanced. Iran doesn't come out of it particularly well, but neither does the USA. The reason why the Iranians are so upset (which, predictably, involves oil) is neatly presented in the opening sequence. But in the end the political backdrop is overshadowed by one man's ingenuity.

Ben Affleck is Tony Mendez (and director as well, strangely enough). Disheartened by the incompetency of the CIA (their idea about getting the six to cycle to the Turkish border is utterly ludicrous), Mendez comes up with a better idea. With the help of John Chambers (John Goodman) and Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), he creates a fake movie to act as a cover story to smuggle our trapped band out of Iran.

Siegel and Chambers get all the best lines ("If I'm going to make a fake movie, it's going to be a fake hit"). Affleck comfortably inhabits the role of our mild mannered hero, and has mastered the look of deep concern. Affleck also does a decent job of directing, it never feels overblown but still grips us with an iron grasp.

In the end you've got everything. The bureaucracy, general inadequacy and also heartlessness of the CIA (there's a particular telling moment when an official remarks "six Canadians shot is a global outrage, six Americans killed while playing at being in the movies is a national humiliation"). The shallowness of Hollywood. The insanity of fundamentalism. But also the triumph of human ingenuity against all the odds.

All in all, it's a hidden gem. It's still on at the cinema now. Forget Skyfall, go and see this!

Rating: 6/10