Argo (2012)
92%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
94 wins & 156 nominations total
Tense, exciting, and often darkly comic, Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters.
Argo is like a rollercoaster ride that you never want to end. Ben Affleck’s direction is so on point that you feel like you’re right there with the characters, sweating bullets and holding your breath. The fact that it’s based on a true story just adds to the excitement. It’s like Ocean’s Eleven meets political espionage, with a dash of Hollywood satire thrown in for good measure. You’ll be on the edge of your seat from start to finish, and when it’s over, you’ll want to ride it again.
Production Company(ies)
Charles Chaplin Productions,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Istanbul, Turkey
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some violent images
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):English, Persian, German, Arabic
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2012 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 19, 2013
Genre(s)
History/Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Chris Terrio, Grant Heslov, George Clooney, directed by Ben Affleck, written by Chris Terrio, history, mystery, thriller, drama, R-rated, box office gross $136.0M, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Jonathan Robbins, Anthony Quinn, Katey Rich, Kate Muir, Ryan Gilbey, Jason Adams, James Croot, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Brent McKnight, Yasser Medina, American Sniper, Dallas Buyers Club, Ex Machina, The Martian, American Hustle, Tony Mendez, Jack O’Donnell, Lester Siegel, John Chambers, Ken Taylor, Bob Anders
Worldwide gross: $232,325,503
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $299,519,713
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 503
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 32,663,000
US/Canada gross: $136,025,503
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $175,367,401
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 431
US/Canada opening weekend: $19,458,109
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $25,085,869
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 545
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $44,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $57,370,487
Production budget ranking: 706
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $30,894,007
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $211,255,219
ROI to date (est.): 239%
ROI ranking: 551
Bryan Cranston – Jack O’Donnell
Alan Arkin – Lester Siegel
John Goodman – John Chambers
Victor Garber – Ken Taylor
Tate Donovan – Bob Anders
Director(s)
Ben Affleck
Writer(s)
Chris Terrio
Producer(s)
Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
94 wins & 156 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Editing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (360) | Top Critics (83) | Fresh (344) | Rotten (16)
Affleck continues to impress audiences with his keen eye for direction, knowing just when to fall back and allow this top-notch cast the freedom to interpret the events in a way that will most compel viewers.
September 7, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
Affleck is still building up his chops as a director, but the intelligence and ambition he brings to filmmaking are particularly apparent in Argo.
January 13, 2015
Jonathan Robbins
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The old saw “truth is stranger than fiction” has had its teeth properly sharpened in the superb thriller Argo, a blend of political history and Hollywood hijinks that goes right for the jugular.
January 13, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The emotional catharsis of Argo isn’t what happens onscreen, but the sheer knowledge that the creaky old moviemaking system has put together something this crowd-pleasing and great.
January 13, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Katey Rich
CinemaBlend
TOP CRITIC
Ben Affleck has delivered a knuckle-muncher of a thriller and a satire on Hollywood, both in one unlikely package.
January 13, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes it isn’t, and it must be bent and twisted out of shape until any authenticity becomes purely theoretical.
January 13, 2015
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Hold your head high, Argo. But, well, not too high. High-ish.
July 2, 2021
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
Students of history will find plenty to carp about, which does slightly spoil the overall effect, but as a searing slice of entertainment Argo is hard to fault.
December 28, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
The subject matter hasn’t lost any of its edge, especially with the continued bedlam in the Middle East.
December 1, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Sometimes, it’s the most absurd ideas that make for the most compelling stories and cinema.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
After the frame is built, the plan is set in motion, and the tight pace and constant tension zip you along towards one of those finales where, once it’s over, you realize that you’ve been leaning forward and forgot to breathe.
July 9, 2020 | Rating: B
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
Argo is a superb thriller. [Full review in Spanish]
June 25, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados…
Plot
After Iranian militants stormed and took control of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 taking 56 Americans as hostages, six Americans managed to get away and took refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. After two months of the Canadians putting their lives on the line everyday, the CIA and the US State Department try to come up with a plan to get their people out. Tony Mendez is an “ex filtration” specialist who proposes that they pose as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a science fiction movie called Argo. Using Hollywood connections, Mendez creates a back story for the movie – ads in Variety, casting calls, inviting he media to a production launch – and then heads off to Iran to lead the six Americans out.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing goofy, funny, or odd is said about the film Argo on Fresh Kernels.
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