TIFF Teasers: Argo, a Ben Affleck movie that finally leaves Boston

After a string of terrible films in the early aughts (Gigli being the most egregious), Ben Affleck reinvented himself by co-writing and directing the critical and commercial successes Gone Baby Gone and The Town. The now credible star’s latest effort is Argo, a highly charged political thriller based on a so-strange-it-must-be-true story. Amid the chaos of Iran’s 1979 revolution, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist (Affleck) makes a plan to smuggle six trapped Americans to safety by having them pose as the crew of a fake Canadian sci-fi epic. Having proved himself capable of gritty tension and action, Affleck was able to attract a cast that is nothing short of an ensemble, featuring Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Victor Garber.