I recently saw Ben Affleck's first directorial effort, "Gone, Baby, Gone" and it was fantastic. His second directed movie was the big hit, "The Town" which was also great.
It is kind of shocking, but Affleck has shown himself to be the real deal as a filmmaker.
His newest effort looks great. Here's a quick synopsis:
Based on true events, “Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis—the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.
Here's the trailer:
And if you haven't seen "Gone, Baby, Gone," here's what Roger Ebert had to say:
In "Gone Baby Gone," Ben Affleck, making his debut as a director, assumes we haven't read the four novels, approaches Patrick and Angie head on and surrounds them with a gallery of very, very intriguing characters. He has his brother Casey and Monaghan play babes in the deep, dark woods, their youth and inexperience working for them as they wonder about what veteran cops don't question. The result is a superior police procedural, and something more — a study in devious human nature.
Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, and Amy Ryan are all fantastic in it. It has a real Boston feel to it also.
Here's the trailer: