Is Ben Affleck one of this generation’s greatest filmmakers?

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:06:00 +0000

Film archives are littered with movies about real movies — "Shadow of the Vampire," about the making of "Nosferatu"; "My Week With Marilyn," about "The Prince and the Showgirl." And there are those about the making of fake movies: Fellini’s "8½," Truffaut’s "Day for Night." Ben Affleck’s "Argo" must be some kind of first: a movie about a real fake movie. Considering that the material on which "Argo" is based was declassified in 1997, it’s amazing that the story didn't inspire a movie much sooner.

It’s historical, as I’m sure you know by now. It details how six American hostages were whisked out of Iran after the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979. It’s political, offering a fair and incisive account of how both the American CIA and the Iranian rebels contributed to the crisis. And it reintroduces suspense as the primary element in a thriller.

After directing two fine films that were top-heavy with violence, “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town,” Affleck has now made a movie almost devoid of violence but long on suspense. The biggest surprise of all: “Argo” is hip. It keeps getting the audience to hold its collective breath only to let it out laughing.

Salon.com > Gone Baby Gone

Is Ben Affleck one of this generation’s greatest filmmakers?