Argo
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 580 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 514 out of 580
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 580
  3. Negative: 42 out of 580

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Nazgulero
    Feb 18, 2013
    0
    After all the talk, I thought well maybe Ben Affleck did something good after all, but I was sceptical. I was right. This movie is just one big orgy of tough man tough talk, which really gets annoying after 20 minutes or so. There is completely no character development in any of the hostages. I had a hard time not falling asleep. What an incredible bore.
  2. Lambo442
    Feb 23, 2013
    4
    I thought this was a bit of a let down. Loved the Town but Argo wasn't gritty enough for me. Some Iranian security guards with some intelligence would have been nice. The film also plays up the çoolness' of making a fake movie, which detracts from the seriousness of the subject matter for me. Funky music as they arrive on their fake set, hmm. And 'Argo f!@k yourself' gets very annoying. Biig let down. And we all know how it's going to end. Amazing thing they did though.… Expand
  3. shaunmed
    Feb 28, 2013
    4
    puh-leez, this movie was not that good. won the oscars because the industry is a scene that celebrates itself. the movie was average and uncompelling. ben afleck is about as talented an actor as keanu reeves.
  4. joef123
    Nov 24, 2012
    4
    The movie started mildly fast, got very slow, then very intense. The only reason I saw this movie was because im a huge Bryan Cranston fan, and many people were saying the film was going to win best picture. This movie has two storylines (thats the only word i could think off to describe it) The one about the hostages, and the one in Hollywood and the C.I.A , about them trying to make the movie. I would give the hostage situation a 3 out of 10, and the Hollywood story a 7 out of 10. The airport scene at the end, I would give 9 out of 10 that was very intense, and the scene was very well written. I would give the acting 6 out of 10 varying from actor to actor, directing 5 out of 10, and writing 6 out of 10, and overall 4 out of ten.… Expand
  5. Scraper
    Oct 29, 2012
    3
    Why did Affleck play Tony Mendez? Mendez is a shorter, chubbier man of Mexican decent. Luiz Guzman would have been a great pick for the lead. Affleck is just trying to make a name for himself and you can't blame him for trying to do so but in the process turned in a very dull performance. The feel of the period was nailed from outfits to mustaches but the acting was hollow. No one stood out. Better left as a documentary of archival footage than a scripted movie. Gaah! Affleck. Expect no change here despite everyone and their mother urging you he's changed his ways.… Expand
  6. cameron326
    Oct 30, 2012
    0
    Entertaining propanda flick. But why the need to constantly churn out these US Propaganda political/war films? And with the US on the cusp of yet another bloody, wasteful war? Enough already!
  7. Kyle_Fitta9
    Nov 8, 2012
    4
    This supposedly movie of the year wind up being a lackluster cinematic bust. It may intrigue a certain type of audience, but it's not exactly a well-rounded movie that everyone could enjoy. The thing is even if it was a factual story, the structure and directing made it feel too homogeneous. The movie also lacked suspense until the end, and to do so they had to even exaggerate the scene, because, in reality, they got out easily. The character development, especially those who were rescued, was weak. There wasn't a genuine reason that made a viewer completely want to see them be rescued other than..well, they were captured. If they were going to exaggerate something, it should have been where they were had to stay. Seriously, it didn't even look where they were living was that terrible. At least do something that makes them appear they're in serious peril.

    After Ben Affleck's greatly crafted movie, The "Town", and after the well-received praised this movie was getting (higher than the Town as a matter of fact), the expectations perhaps were too high. Even if they were, this movie was nothing more than a mediocre capture and rescue true story, though. The problem with true stories is people tend to proceed they are automatically better than fiction stories a lot of times. Well, I went to school yesterday and then watched basketball. That's a true story, but it doesn't mean it's intriguing enough to make it a film about it.    … Expand
  8. jibbon
    Mar 31, 2013
    3
    A very mediocre piece of U.S patriotic drama. That the film took out the Oscar for Best Picture is a sad reflection on the dim witted fervour of The Academy. Despite an honest opening sequence that attempts to give some sketch of the destructive involvement of the CIA in Iran, the film plunges straight into an overt juxtaposition of idyllic American civilisation and the barbarism of the middle east that is rife and disturbing. The vilification of the Iranian people and the shallow representation of the context of the tragic circumstances destroys the integrity of the film on all levels.
    There are some acute performances in small places, but with Affleck on screen most of the time, everything is rendered pretty flat and monochrome. Shocker.    … Expand
  9. Hrqarai
    Feb 11, 2013
    0
    A one-sided self-satisfying nationalist and political propaganda film with no real suspense and substance. With highly-implausible inventions to reality that make it look stupid to the audience with some common sense and minimum level knowledge of the situation. The silly car chase on the airport runway or the lack of explanation for why the airliner is not turned back to the airport by the control tower, or the American women wandering provocatively (taking photos) among the Muslim Persians with no head-covering (the stupidest thing of all), etc.… Expand
  10. daryl2345
    Feb 26, 2013
    0
    "the town" was a million times better than this movie. this is the most overrated underwhelming movie i think i have ever seen. had it been nominated last year for best picture it wouldn't have had a chance. the academy needs to recognize more genres for best picture. "this is 40" isn't an instant classic, but there's more feeling put into that comedy than this drama. this belonged on lifetime, not on the big screen. i want to tell anyone who voted for this movie "argo f*** yourself."… Collapse
  11. Neillos
    Mar 17, 2013
    2
    This is a boring story. A CIA agent flies a commercial airliner into Tehran, and flies out two days later with six endangered Americans. There is no firefight, no border crossing, not even a romantic subplot. The entire appeal of this movie is that it is historical "based on true events" says the promo but it turns out the movie has little to do with what actually happened in 1980. The CIA played a small part in the rescue, the Canadians did all the work, and most of the scenes are complete bunk. Given the lack of historical content, Ben Affleck could have thrown in a car chase or two, a "traitor within" subplot, or maybe had the 747 pursued by Iranian fighter jets and chased off by a Sopwith camel. Better yet, have the aliens from Argo intervene on behalf of the good guys (assuming that is us). It's all crap history anyway.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 45 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    Nov 5, 2012
    80
    An old-school espionage thriller with a movie-biz comedy twist, all the better for being (almost) entirely true. It is to Ben Affleck's credit that the tension and laughs complement rather than neutralise each other.
    Read full review
  2. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Richard Jordan
    Oct 17, 2012
    80
    Combining laughs and thrills with plenty of verve, Ben Affleck continues his smart directorial career with a stylish, gripping hostage drama.
    Read full review
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    Oct 12, 2012
    70
    Argo isn't quite on the level of the Sidney Lumet classics to which Affleck pays stylistic homage - smart and taut as it is, it lacks the broader political vision of a film like "Dog Day Afternoon." But Lumet lite still goes down pretty smooth.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »