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As opposed to his mediocre reputation as an actor, Ben Affleck has become a more successful film director following his debut feature Gone Baby Gone in 2007 and more recently The Town in 2010. Next on the agenda is Argo, another thriller set in the complex, political world. However, Affleck provides a sense of genius with Argo as it is not only a thriller about rescuing American captives from Iran, but also about the usefulness and charm of film. Sure, when you look at it that way, the plot is extraordinary but Argo has still got a hint of intelligence behind it. Therefore, Ben Affleck’s latest feature is not only about the complicating world of politics and the creativity of cinema, but also represents themes of bravery and commitment.
Considering his long filmography of mediocre on-screen performances and following only three features as director thus far, we have established Ben Affleck is more gifted when behind the camera. His direction in Argo is sublime! The opening sequence immediately sets up the forthcoming narrative of the film and, therefore, sends the audience into a suspenseful, gripping mood. After a very long and occasionally slow build-up, the nail-biting tension rapidly heats up upon arriving in Iran. In addition, Affleck illustrates the creativity of cinema in a more political way as opposed to a visual representation of the art like we saw in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. With this in mind and being a true story, Argo indicates the complexity of politics and government with the fascination of cinema in a reality form of art.
Let’s face it, Ben Affleck may have had the odd few decent performances throughout his career but he has never truly proved himself worthy as a talented actor. He appeared as the central character in his own film The Town, but Affleck returns as a leading actor as well as director to portray protagonist CIA specialist Tony Mendez. This character is leading the whole idea behind the fake film Argo as well as being the one to enter Iran to rescue the 6 hostages. However, although Affleck sparked as a leader at a satisfactory level, he slightly lacked the heroism and courage that symbolizes the character and what Tony Mendez himself had done.
Meanwhile, the majority of supporting cast in Argo were in roles playing characters that specialize part of film production. First, Alan Arkin portrays producer Lester Siegel in a performance that mixes the occasionally light humour and makes the film, at times, hilarious to watch. This makes Arkin the stand-out of the film and he deserves another opportunity at Oscar glory. Furthermore, John Goodman makes an appearance as make-up artist John Chambers. Goodman who ironically had another role playing a character part of the film industry in 2011 Best Picture winner The Artist, delivers a solid performance that is not quite as brilliant as Arkin’s but is still impressive enough to appreciate.
Argo may look your traditional boring and complex political feature but it is important to note that, alongside cinema, it is a film of creativity and skill. It is a film that can be seen as just plain Hollywood entertainment but Affleck’s marvellous direction proves that there is more to Argo than that. Therefore, it is a remarkable feature from Ben Affleck, who outshines himself by overlapping his gift as a director with his vintage satisfactory performance, and deserves critical acclaim and recognition at the upcoming Academy Awards.
8/10
