This is, without a doubt, my favourite movie of the year and Ben Affleck deserves an Oscar for his direction. He gives a flawless and tense adaptation of real life accounts of the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. I wasn’t born at the time but I got much of the story from school and my parents. My mom remembers it as one of the world’s most intense moments witnessed together as one, it wasn’t just an American problem, it was the World’s problem and Affleck captured the mood of that time excellently.
The Plot; In 1979 the American embassy in Iran is invaded anti-American revolutionaries. Some are taken hostage but six who manage to escape seek refuge in the Canadian ambassador’s home and it falls on the American Government to get them out of there. Tony Mendez, played by Affleck, is an exfiltration expert who comes up with the plan to get these six out; he creates a fake Canadian Film Project looking to shoot a movie set in Iran, with the six refugees disguised as part of the crew scouting the location. With the help of credible Hollywood producers, Mendez devices the ruse and proceeds to Iran on this mission. But once in a hostile Iran, things are not so smooth sailing; not only is the White House doing an about turn, but the Six also need convincing. The sh!t is about to hit the fan and the Iranian authorities are not too far behind.
What makes it; the plot, the story, the moment…it takes us there. Without any big bangs but with a series on tense filled moments it captivates the audience.
Why you should go see it; besides being a bloody brilliant movie, this is a history lesson and we don’t have much of those around these days. You won’t be disappointed.