Argo Review
History lessons can be fun. Full spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman Argo is somewhat of an anomaly. It’s startlingly intense, but never explodes into action. It recounts a historical event, but it feels fresh and exciting. It’s occasionally amusing, but never quite funny. It managed to land Alan Arkin, John Goodman and Bryan Cranston, but instead opts to center largely on a group of relatively unknown faces. Some of its quirky facets work better than others, but all in all, Argo can be counted as yet another Ben Affleck-directed winner. The film takes place in 1979 and 1980, in the midst of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Argo wastes no time getting to the point; six American diplomats escaped the US embassy in Iran before it was overrun by Iranian extremists, who took most of the diplomats hostage. The six escapees have found refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador, and now it’s up to CIA operative Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) and his associate Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranst