Reviews for this film from our members:
- Marco Albanese @ Stanze di Cinema [Italian]
- Excerpt: Ma più che allo statuto ontologico di realtà del mezzo cinematografico, Affleck sembra interessato a raccontare per una volta una storia politica nella quale è l’intelligence a trionfare, senza l’uso della forza.
- Dragan Antulov @ Draxblog VI [Croatian]
- Rick Aragon @ Rick’s Cafe Texan
- Excerpt: The one thing that pushes Argo down for me is the lead. It’s not just that Affleck is simply not a good actor…It is the fact that Ben Affleck cast himself as a Hispanic character and apparently thought no one would notice the difference.
- S Axmaker @ MSN Movies
- Alan Bacchus @ Daily Film Dose
- Excerpt: The real-life mission to rescue six American hostages from Iran in 1979, previously classified by the CIA and now public knowledge, has been realized into Ben Affleck’s best film as director.
- Jason Bailey @ Flavorwire
- Luke Bonanno @ DVDizzy.com
- Excerpt: It is among 2012’s most entertaining and best-made films.
- Tim Brayton @ Antagony & Ecstasy
- Excerpt: [A] perfectly lovely, immensely watchable, intermittently shallow, and slightly bloated thriller.
- Enrique Buchichio @ Cartelera.com.uy [Spanish]
- Excerpt: Ben Affleck se confirma como buen (no gran) director con la recreación de una increíble historia real en clave de thriller de espionaje.
- Kevin Carr @ 7M Pictures
- Excerpt: “Argo” is a feat for Ben Affleck as a director, and this third time as a charm proves he’s one of the most promising directors working today.
- Stephen Carty @ Flix Capacitor
- Samuel Castro @ Ochoymedio.info [Spanish]
- Excerpt: Ben Affleck demuestra una vez más que se ha convertido en un gran director
- Bill Clark @ FromTheBalcony.com
- Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: With “Argo,” Affleck’s proved beyond a doubt he’s an A-list filmmaker.
- Philip Concannon @ Phil on Film
- Edwin Davies @ A Mighty Fine Blog
- Excerpt: Affleck uses the opportunity to move the story away from spies to engage in some light-hearted, fairly broad jibes at the expense of the falseness of Hollywood, a place where people pretending to be something they aren’t is the norm. The two halves of the film never really mesh all that comfortably but they make for a nice contrast.
- Tony Dayoub @ Cinema Viewfinder
- Excerpt: As in the best true-life thrillers, Affleck’s disciplined focus on the covert escape yields tiny but amazing revelations while allowing the viewer to see the bigger historical picture, bestowing a sense of discovery to Argo not often found in other historical movies.
- Jim Dixon @ Examiner.com
- Excerpt: Ben Affleck is very quickly emerging as one of Hollywood’s top directors. His latest movie, “Argo,” is about as good as suspense thrillers get, and this one is particularly remarkable in that the audience should be expected to know how it ends before they enter the theater.
- [New – 11/28/13] | M. Enois Duarte @ High-Def Digest.com
- Mark Dujsik @ Mark Reviews Movies
- Excerpt: Even with the final result being fairly obvious, the story and its details … are still suspenseful; it is a tale of a series of trials with no room for error.
- Candice Frederick @ Reel Talk
- Excerpt: Sounds bogus, but this absurd scheme actually worked, and later became known as the Canadian Caper. What’s even more incredible? Ben Affleck directs this extraordinary story.
- Dustin Freeley @ Movies About Gladiators.com
- Cynthia Fuchs @ PopMatters
- Kimberly Gadette @ Doddle
- Excerpt: It seems that the rescue film Argo could use a little rescue itself. With unexplored characters and abrupt tonal shifts – plus a ponderous protagonist — this is far from a compelling depiction of a riveting historic event.
- Panagiotis Gkaris @ Movies Ltd
- Excerpt: Furthermore, Affleck’s team in the technical unit(s) has been attentive to historical detail, despite the distasteful hair jobs and excessive use of real footage of the era and taken into account that, obviously Iranians would not fall for the same prank twice in 30 years.
- Susan Granger @ www.susangranger.com
- Excerpt: Relevant, politically-charged suspense that’s strategically laced with humor, it’s compelling and intense – a terrific thriller!
- Ali Gray @ TheShiznit.co.uk
- Richard Gray @ The Reel Bits
- Excerpt: Ben Affleck’s third directorial outing proves his prowess both behind and in front of the camera.
- Roderick Heath @ This Island Rod
- Excerpt: Yet another film that determinedly exploits the paranoia of white westerners about being glared at by vaguely threatening foreigners.
- MaryAnn Johanson @ FlickFilosopher.com
- Excerpt: I was literally in tears for parts of “Argo”, a purely physical reaction, not an emotional one, to deal with the tension. The only other option would have been to moan out loud, the film is almost that unbearably nerve-wracking.
- Danny King @ The King Bulletin
- Excerpt: I love what Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’ represents — smart, crisp, adult-oriented entertainment that isn’t afraid to have a little fun while also telling a seriously tense story.
- Benjamin Kramer @ The Voracious Filmgoer
- Josh Larsen @ LarsenOnFilm.com
- Excerpt: …a deeply myopic view of the world, one focused through a distinctly – and distorted – American lens.
- Glenn Lovell @ CinemaDope.com
- Wesley Lovell @ Cinema Sight
- Excerpt: Watching a new directorial voice emerge is one of the most thrilling aspects of being a film critic. Seeing how they develop into strong storytellers and craftsmen emboldens us. With Argo, Ben Affleck has not only solidified his position as one of the finest talents working today, he assures us that he’s no two-trick pony.
- Dan Lybarger @ KCActive.com
- Excerpt: Now that Affleck taken up directing and chosen his acting roles more carefully, the wait between his films seems intolerably long.
- Piers Marchant @ Sweet Smell of Success
- Excerpt: Director Ben Affleck grows a sweet Kris Kristofferson beard and makes a damn fine political thriller.
- Mike McGranaghan @ The Aisle Seat
- Excerpt: Argo isn’t just fascinating because it’s a true story, it’s fascinating because Affleck tells the story well, building tension while always maintaining a very human-centered approach.
- Jason McKiernan @ Next Projection
- Excerpt: …as a recreation of history – very inspirational, true history – it feels like a slightly sharper-edged version of reverential Spielbergian history…smooth, earnestly emotional, and a little vanilla.
- Ryan McNeil @ The Matinee
- Excerpt: It’s amazing what can get accomplished when people put ego aside and decide to co-operate.
- Simon Miraudo @ Quickflix
- Darren Mooney @ the m0vie blog
- Excerpt: Movie magic saves the day in Ben Affleck’s latest.
- Jason Pirodsky @ Expats.cz
- Excerpt: Is Argo the best film of 2012? Probably not. But it’s an incredible story, told with lean efficiency and expert craftsmanship, which is mighty good enough.
- Bev Questad @ It’s Just Movies
- Excerpt: Argo is surrounded by a total environment of insight, intelligence and care. The Oscars are coming.
- Tiago Ramos @ Split Screen [Portuguese]
- Jamie S. Rich @ DVD Talk
- Excerpt: Of all his features, which previously included “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town,” “Argo” is Ben Affleck’s most grounded and sober. The true-to-life setting isn’t as flashy or stylized as his crime pictures, and yet it is easily the most technically proficient of anything the filmmaker has done.
- Jonathan Richards @ www,jonrichardsplace.com
- Excerpt: Ben Affleck takes a true story by the throat and delivers a seat-squirming, pulse-pounding nail-biter.
- Jerry Roberts @ Armchair Cinema
- Excerpt: Under the direction of Ben Affleck, the movie is a nearly perfect thriller about how, in 1979, during the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, a group of Islamic terrorists were robbed of a handful of their potential victims.
- Marcio Sallem @ Cinema com Crítica [Portuguese]
- Tom Santilli @ Examiner.com
- Excerpt: Argo is a very good movie, cementing Ben Affleck as having arrived as a director of suspense. But for me, it falls a bit short of greatness.
- Norm Schrager @ Paste Magazine
- Excerpt: The story carries all the intrigue you’d expect, and Terrio’s script and Affleck’s sense of timing result in an efficient, stripped down and polished effort.
- Amir Siregar @ Flick Magazine [Indonesian]
- Frank Swietek @ One Guys Opinion
- Excerpt: An exciting, fact-based action thriller that adds some real human dimension and satirical jabs to the mix.
- Jean-François Vandeuren @ Panorama-cinema.com [French]
- Phil Villarreal @ OK Magazine
- Excerpt: With Gone Baby Gone, The Town and now this film, he’s developed an untouchable resume as a filmmaker that’s almost stunning enough to make everyone forgive him for starring in Gigli, Jersey Girl, Reindeer Games and Paycheck. Almost.
- Amber Wilkinson @ Eye For Film
- Excerpt: ffleck knows how to keep a tight grip on a story, gets better at ratcheting tension with every film, and displays a fearlessness when it comes to mixing genre.
- Andrew Wyatt @ Look / Listen (St. Louis Magazine)
- Excerpt: The film works splendidly when Affleck’s direction and Chris Terrio’s script are focused on realizing the best damn glossy cloak-and-dagger tale they can muster. The result is admittedly pure popcorn fodder, but also completely gratifying, a steel trap with a couple of well-oiled gears nicked from Frankenheimer and Pakula—and many more from Hitchcock and Spielberg.
