An old-school espionage thriller with a movie-biz comedy twist, all the better for being (almost) entirely true. It is to Ben Affleck's credit that the tension and laughs complement rather than neutralise each other.

Dan Jolin

Empire

It's a doozy of a story and so borderline ridiculous that it sounds - ta-da! - like something that could have been cooked up only by Hollywood.

Manohla Dargis

The New York Times

Argo is absurdly suspenseful for both of its hours. I've never been this stressed-out watching people shred documents.

Wesley Morris

Boston Globe