Argo. Ben Affleck (2.012)

I've never believed in the Oscars as a benchmark to define the quality of a movie. I understand though, that it's definitely a good reference of movies you should see. I took that decision many years ago when a cheesy romantic comedy like "Ghost" was nominated for best picture. This theory of mine was once more proven this year with "Argo".

I usually like films based in historic events. "The Right Stuff"; "Amadeus"; "Ghandi" are some of the titles I've truly enjoyed throughout the years. These movies encourage you to read more about the events that took place in real life therefore you end up learning a bit more about history. However, you have to be careful about what you see because there could be a big gap between reality and what the Director wants you to believe. This is the case with "Argo".

Ben Affleck intends to portray the events that took place in Iran when in 1.979 a group of fanatics took the US Embassy in Tehran taking 50 Americans as hostages. Six of them managed to escape and holed up at the Canadian Embassy. The US Government, through the CIA and an officer named Tony Mendez, device a  clever plan to retrieve these six Americans by pretending them to be part of a film crew that were looking for locations for a sci-fi film named "Argo".

The movie itself is interesting, as you realise this happened in real life. The tensions keep mounting because everyone is aware that is the plan is uncovered, everyone would end up executed and tensions between the two countries would escalate. In this sense, the movie is good. A thriller complete with last minute escapes and phone calls taken on the last ring. But in the end, something I'd rather watch on TV during a Saturday night at home.

The acting was relatively good, only Alan Arkin standing out, as he usually does.

But the part I really disliked was the manipulation of the truth for cinematic convenience. Tony Mendez, who is Ben Affleck's character, only spent 2 days in Iran when this all happened. It was mostly the Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor, who risked his life for weeks by hiding these Americans and issuing false passports to all of them.

In the end, it was another so-so movie made to look important by touching the American's sense of patriotism. Good old USA saving the day once again. 

This is, at least, my opinion. And I could be wrong.