Argo ***½

Ben Affleck directed and stars in this Thriller. Watch Preview. Cast: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kerry Bishe, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Victor Garber, Zeljko Ivanek, Richard Kind, Scoot McNairy, Chris Messina, Michael Parks, Taylor Schilling. Rated R for language and some violent images. Running time is two hours.

Based on true events, "Argo" chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis. A CIA agent (Affleck) enters Iran with a supposed scouting crew for a film called, Argo.

I would think the mark of a good director is to be able to take a story where the ending is already known and make a movie about it that is both suspenseful and thrilling. Affleck manages to do that, and do it well, in a film people have been eagerly awaiting. If I had a complaint about this film it is that it unnecessarily long. There are quite a few stretches that could have been dispensed with without diminishing the film's impact, but the pacing is generally good and the ending is a real nail biter. This is a film virtually everyone will enjoy.

The end credits are interesting in that they pictorially compare the real hostages to the actors portraying them. A big screen isn't required. Theatres/Times.