Argo

R

Released Oct 12, 2012

2 hr. 0 min.

History

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Biography

TRAILER

for Argo: Trailer 1

List

96%

365 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it's just a matter of time before the refugees are found and likely executed, the U.S. government calls on extractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to rescue them. Mendez's plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the refugees to act as his "film" crew.

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Critics Consensus

Tense, exciting, and often darkly comic, Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters.

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Libby A

Unbelievable! Riveting! Talent abounds in this epic flick about a crisis that happened when I was six years old. A rare gem. An exceptional glimpse into the look and feel of Iran in the late 70's early 80's. The historic accuracy, the best acting that Ben Affleck has ever done in my opinion, confident, subtle .... he nailed it. The Direction was impeccable. The little details, the way the story unfolds, his son's phone call, the nostalgia, the flawless sequencing from stories told within stories. The camera angles essential to build anticipation, urgency and suspense. I am truly blown away. Hopefully he does more like this. I am catching up on the years I fell asleep while pregnant on the couch and missed some really important movies. This was one of them and it did not disappoint! Thank you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

Max W

Wow. Amazing story. Even more amazing, considering that it's based on facts!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

Ross M

I will never forgive the producers of his movie for their untruths regarding this incident. The Canadian embassy put all of their staff at risk of death to provide the safety to all the Americans and provide phoney Canadian passports so all of the Americans could get out of Iran. It was not the CIA who rescued the Americans, it was Canada. So much for gratitude!!!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/23/24

Full Review

Eye C

The caution, determination and the attention to details that put Affleck in his movies is amazing, no matter how many times you saw this movie, it always stresses you up. And the couple of Alan Arkin and John Goodman is priceless.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

Elizabeth N

The tension is palpable. This is more meaningful since I first learned of the background from The International Spy Museum.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

Jeff M

The 2012 Academy Award winner for Best Picture is an absolutely remarkable true story that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that truth is stranger than fiction. Affleck's third directorial effort is remarkably self-assured, often thrilling and suspenseful and quite adept in balancing a number of storylines simultaneously. The climax of this film that takes place at an airport is extraordinary. Do I think it deserved Best Picture? No. Although it's really close. What hurt the film for me and keeps it from being an all time classic is an issue involving the tone of the scenes involving Goodman and Arkin. I dreaded pretty much every scene involving these characters and their overly comic portrayals. They felt to me totally out of place and hindered the beautifully dramatic and tense moments that most of the film succeeded in building. Ironically enough, Arkin is the one performance here that garnered Oscar attention. Thankfully there's not a whole lot of screen time dedicated to this part of the plot, but it's enough where it puts a dent in the car door. Scenes involving Affleck's estranged wife and son also aren't the strongest here. But what is done well is done remarkably well, and it's a very impressive film. With a little tweaking and editing, it coulda been a contender. But it's still a wonderfully entertaining and fascinating movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

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Ben Affleck

Director

Ben Affleck

Tony Mendez

Bryan Cranston

Jack O'Donnell

Alan Arkin

Lester Siegel

John Goodman

John Chambers

Victor Garber

Ken Taylor

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Argo: Trailer 1

2:25

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Affleck continues to impress audiences with his keen eye for direction, knowing just when to fall back and allow this top-notch cast the freedom to interpret the events in a way that will most compel viewers.

Rated: A

Sep 7, 2017

Full Review

Jonathan Robbins

Film Comment Magazine

Affleck is still building up his chops as a director, but the intelligence and ambition he brings to filmmaking are particularly apparent in Argo.

Jan 13, 2015

Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

The old saw "truth is stranger than fiction" has had its teeth properly sharpened in the superb thriller Argo, a blend of political history and Hollywood hijinks that goes right for the jugular.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 13, 2015

Full Review

Anushka Halve

Film Companion

Mendez orchestrates the audacious plan to hoodwink Iranian authorities by posing as a film crew, ingeniously paving the way for the American diplomats to secure safe passage out of the country.

Dec 12, 2023

Full Review

Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

Lines of historic moments are blurred in Ben Affleck’s dramatization of the rescue of diplomats during the Tehran hostage crisis of 1979. But who’s complaining? (Argo) is an extremely rewatchable movie.

Jun 27, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Affleck has not only reminded us that his best performances come when he’s in control, but that he’s also a considerable force behind the camera.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 23, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it's just a matter of time before the refugees are found and likely executed, the U.S. government calls on extractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to rescue them. Mendez's plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the refugees to act as his "film" crew.

Director: Ben Affleck
Executive Producer: David Klawans, Nina Wolarsky, Chris Brigham, Chay Carter, Graham King, Tim Headington
Screenwriter: Chris Terrio
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Smokehouse Pictures, Smoke House, GK Films, Warner Bros.
Rating: R (Some Violent Images|Language)
Genre: History, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 3, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $136.0M
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Datasat

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