As a UK script writer for hire I’ve been hired on some bizarre jobs by some very interesting people, eccentric millionaires wanting to get into the film business are common, but I’ve never been hired to write a script for a film that’s being put together for a covert operation to free people from a hostile environment!
That’s the fun for me in Argo which is based on a true story and is very well directed by Ben Affleck. It’s suspenseful and funny and seems a strange foot note in the history of US operations in the Middle East.
John Goodman and Alan Arkin are hilarious as the producers involved in the fake film, and as the clock ticks down on the plot the final sequences are very suspenseful. Affleck also directed The Town which is a decent movie, but he upped his game and won an Academy Award with Argo.
Alan Arkin seems to be having a field day in the later part of his career, taking smaller supporting roles and often showing brilliant comic timing. Affleck seems a generous director of actors and all the performances are well considered but Arkin really eats up his scenes and has some of the most memorable dialogue in the film.
See the film, the trailer is below…
Matthew Cooper has been a script writer for hire for over 20 years. He’s written for most of the UK soaps, including writing award winning episodes of Emmerdale, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs. Matthew was winner of the first ever Lloyds Bank Channel Four Film Challenge, the Oscar Moore Screenplay Prize and has been BAFTA shortlisted and Royal Television Society nominated as a script writer. You can find some of his broadcast credits on the IMDb. You can get in touch with Matthew on matcoop23@yahoo.co.uk