Argo (Ben Affleck, 2012)

Given the ongoing political friction between the U.S. and Iran, the decision of Affleck to tackle part of the events of the hostage crisis that took place in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution may be seen either as bold or foolhardy. It is fine that an actor whose image took a merciless and justified battering in the period which included calamities such as Pearl Harbor or Gigli did not lie down and curl up, but for all the plaudits this piece garnered at the Oscars, I remain unconvinced of his directorial merits.
The story is basically a tweaked version of a rescue attempt of six stranded diplomats by a CIA operatives involving him flying in to disguise them as fake filmmakers. It functions fine as light entertainment with a few hairy moments, and this is pretty much the crux of the problem. There is chipper banter between the hero's Hollywood collaborators, all the Iranians are furiously suspicious with bulging eyes and a completely fabricated chase finale is tagged on too, in an apparent belief that the audiences will simply not have an appetite for the less dramatic real story. It may be well-made and even well-intentioned, but it is still commercially compromised tosh nevertheless.

5/10