New On DVD: Argo

“Based on true events” is generally the set up for a long, hard fall, as Hollywood plays roughshod with a story that would sell itself if left alone. Not in this case, however. Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans who escaped and found refuge during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis--the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. A CIA specialist named Tony Mendez (played by actor-director Ben Affleck) hits on a rescue plan so ridiculous it could only be conceived of in Hollywood--and in this case, real life. It may be the best film of 2012, a tense, geeky, perilous, humorous, satirical and historical ride, rolled into two brilliantly executed hours of film.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Talyor Schilling, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Richard Kind, Kyle Chandler