Movie “Argo” recieves largely positive reviews

Ben Affleck both stars in and directs this political thriller based on the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. Affleck plays Tony Mendez, a CIA operative who must devise a scheme to secretly extract six Americans who escaped the embassy and are secretly hiding out in the Canadian embassy before their location is discovered and they are once again targeted by the hostage-takers. So far, critics have had very few negative things to say about the film. “Mr. Affleck handles his own roles, on camera and behind it, with a noticeable lack of self-aggrandizement,” wrote Manohla Dargis, chief film critic of the New York Times, “He doesn’t show off with his direction or the performances, going for detail instead of bombast with eerie silences, traded glances, trembling gestures and beaded sweat.” Scott Mantz of Access Hollywood called Affleck’s role as the film’s director an “absolute triumph.” Admittedly the plot could hardly be called historically accurate, but apparently that hasn’t bothered the critics too much.