20 Spy Movies You Must See Before You Die

If Argo hadn't been based on a true story, chances are you'd take one look at its crazy premise and think, "Jesus, Hollywood really has lost the plot!"

Alas, Argo is based almost entirely on actual happenings, and follows a top secret rescue mission conducted by the CIA in 1972 to rescue a group of US embassy workers from Iran during the uprising. In order to get them home safely, a team masquerade themselves as a group of filmmakers making a fake sci-fi film called "Argo", searching for ideal shooting locations.

What follows is a spy flick that is refreshingly free from gunfire and explosions, but clings to a story based on keeping calm under pressure and making swift decisions at key times. As the leader of the team, CIA agent Tony Mendez, Ben Affleck delivers an understated performance that was met with mixed reviews at the time. In retrospect it feels like exactly the right kind of performance for this sort of film, its muted quality helping to give the piece a shade of historic realism.

Alan Arkin, John Goodman, and Bryan Cranston round out the cast, offering up small but memorable roles, whilst the screenplay - penned by Chris Terrio - is a masterclass in economical, unsentimental writing. And what a final thirty minutes!