Sound and Vision Magazine

Based on real-life events, the nail-biting dramatic thriller Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, is set at the height of the chaos of the Iranian revolution when, on November 4, 1979, militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran taking 52 Americans hostage and six embassy workers went out the back door.

Flight, as directed by Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future trilogy), states loudly and firmly the message that the ordinary working man — and woman — doesn’t stand a chance against the system and the pressures of modern life. The only choices they have to help them cope are booze and drugs or religion.

Many big-budget movies are actually radio serials with special effects. Many dramas are just theatrical productions that have leaked off the stage. And then there are real films of which this is one. Mood and meaning are created by the visuals and cinematic language, not just the music.

Graphic violence, gore, and wholesale shoot-’em-up slaughter. In the weak of heart or the strong of mind this might instill . . . well, dread — especially accompanied by catchphrase statements like “I am the law!” and “Judgment time!” — but the film is surprisingly inventive and at times visually striking.