Argo is Timely, Topical and Thoroughly Entertaining

On Nov. 4, 1979, a large group of Iranians stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But six Americans did escape. The story about how those six made it out is the set-up for the film "Argo."

The six find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. That's when CIA operative Tony Mendez comes in. He's played by Ben Affleck, who also directs the film.

He cooks up a plan to fly in alone and fly out with the six, all of them posing as a film crew scouting locations for a faux "Star Wars" knockoff titled "Argo."

It's a crazy scheme to get hostages out by fronting a fake movie, but it works…and, at times, it's very funny. There are some great supporting roles for Bryan Cranston, the CIA boss; Alan Arkin, the fake movie producer; and John Goodman, the special effects guy. All this and a great story leave you with an engaging film crackling with energy and purpose.

This is no documentary; it's a major studio motion picture, and a heck of a good one at that. So the Flick-O-Meter gives "Argo" a five out of five. Great film, great acting, great directing. This film is Oscar-worthy.

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