Ben Affleck, at one point known as one half of Bennifer and the star of Gigli, has executed an impressive career turn-around lately by becoming a director. His debut Gone Baby Gone was a lean and smart crime thriller that earned an Oscar nomination for co-star Amy Ryan, and 2010's The Town expanded the criminal scope a bit while also making room for strong performances and Affleck's own increasingly strong voice behind the camera. Now with his third effort, Argo, Affleck is getting away from Boston criminals-- really, about as far away as you can imagine. Telling the true story of the rescue of the hostages held at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran after the revolution there, Argo involves government agents, Hollywood studios and a fake science fiction movie that actually succeeded in rescuing some hostage.
To know more, take a look at the new trailer-- it's posted by Warner Bros. UK, but given that it also premiered on Good Morning America today, I assume it's also the domestic version.
There's a pretty sharp tonal shift halfway through this trailer, going from the intense action of the Irananian Revolution and the CIA agents charged with rescuing them to the bright sunshine of Hollywood, where Affleck's bearded character cooks up a plan to fake a sci-fi movie that would give the hostages cover to escape the country. The entire daring effort was documented in a Wired Magazine article that's well worth your time to read, though be wary of spoilers! No, seriously-- Argo looks pretty great, and when it comes to theaters on October 12, you might be more excited to be surprised.
As you might have noticed in the trailer, Affleck's got a crazy great cast backing him up this time-- there's Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Bryan Cranston, Victor Garber, and solid character actors like Tate Donovan, Titus Welliver and Clea DuVall. Even without Affleck's strong previous track record, there's a lot to be excited about here.
