In April 1980 an attempt was made by elite forces of the U.S to rescue fifty three Americans who had been held as hostages in the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

On the orders of President Carter eight helicopters took off from aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Oman to rendezvous with a 97 man Delta rescue team at a remote area in the desert, codenamed Desert One. But a dust storm forced down two of the helicopters and the rescue attempt was abandoned, but disaster was to follow when the helicopters and six giant C-130 Galaxy transports were involved in a collision which resulted in the deaths of eight US servicemen. This was a bitter blow to the Carter administration.

This new film, masterfully directed by Ben Affleck steers away from the political issues, but it is a first-rate thriller. It tells the story of CIA agent Tony Mendez, played by Affleck himself, who is given the task of co-ordinating the rescue of the Iran hostages, he decides on a plan, to smuggle the hostages out of Iran disguised as a Canadian film crew. The mission is codenamed Argo after the ship in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed to retrieve the Golden Fleece. To make their cover more realistic looking, Mendez enlists the help of two Hollywood veterans, producer, Lester Siegel and make-up artist, John Chambers.

Mendez, caught up in this volatile situation, which he pursues with dedication is also preoccupied with family problems, he has separated from his wife who has taken their young son away to live with her. There are some very violent scenes in the film, particularly in the embassy where the hostages are being held, when the conflict between different beliefs comes to a head, this contrasts with one of the hostages whose dearest possession is a little prayer card with a picture of the Infant of Prague on it.

Affleck has made a film of substance, acquitting himself well as both star and director and he has very able support from John Goodman as John Chambers and from Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel.