Argo

Going into Argo, I had an expectation and a question. The question was: "how can a sort-of spy thriller REALLY be the movie that won Best Pic?". And the expectation was a good pseudo-spy thriller. I was not well-versed in the Iran Hostage Crisis, apart from knowing that hostages were taken in Iran, it lasted a long time, and pretty much was the kiss of death for Jimmy Carter's Presidency (even if he did get them out, and not that criminal idiot Reagan). Imagine my surprise when, a half hour in, this thing almost turns into a comedy, and then switches back, but has almost no hallmarks of an espionage thriller, like guns, car chases, or femme fatales. It's a puzzling movie, made more so because it's real. The CIA really did use the cover of a fake sci-fi movie and film crew to smuggle out six people who escaped the US embassy before the hostages were taken. It sounds positively ludicrous, and it's doubly ludicrous that it WORKED. Despite there being no suspense once the movie's story is laid out -- I mean, come on, does anybody think they'd make a movie about this if it went south? -- Ben Affleck's direction still manages to turn up the suspense, and I think he manages to build that tension by making the smart pivot from "WILL they get out of Iran" to "HOW did they get out". The scheme always feels a hair's breadth from falling apart and needing to improvise. But is it Best Picture material? No. As good as Affleck's direction is, the movie's structure robs it of just enough shine. Because this is based on the life of Tony Mendez, the extraction specialist who comes up with the fake movie scheme and gets them out, the movie is pretty much told from his perspective. This has two problems; most everybody else gets downplayed into supporting roles or human chess pieces, and Affleck himself just doesn't have the gravitas to carry this role. I'm not one to say Affleck is a terrible actor; he has good performances on his CV. But his performance here is oddly flat; I think he's going for stoic and serious, but it comes off as unattached and disinterested. When you're the centerpiece of the movie, a flat performance AND relegating everybody else to the sidelines ... not the best plan. Luckily, the script and what time the other actors are given bail him out. The dialogue is smart, and during the Hollywood scenes outright hilarious, and the pacing never flags. Bryan Cranston is, no surprise, marvelous, as Affleck's CIA supervisor, and the cast of actors who play the escapees all do a great job showing various kinds of panic, concern, and fear. If you're wondering how a movie can be four stars when the central character is a bit of a dud, it's because the movie rises up around Affleck to make it better. I wish it had a little more charismatic lead, but he doesn't drag the movie down.