After hearing all the good reviews, I was very much looking forward to seeing this film. However, after watching it I was confounded as to why this is being considered for best picture.

From the opening scene to nearly the end, this film walks along at a pace that resembles the flat line on a heart monitor. I don't mind films that develop slowly, but they must have brilliant cinematography, compelling characters and some sort of rising tension to keep the audience interested.

The cinematography was routine. The only bright spot were the interesting retro details and the 70's look of the actors. Meanwhile, the characters were in every way the definition of two dimensional. I defy the audience to remember the full names of any of them. And while the movie opens with tension, it then proceeds to just go downhill like a sedative. It's not until the final car ride to the airport does the sleeping movie-goer wake up.

Many have gone on about the lack of historical accuracy, but Hollywood has never cared about that or has the illiterate audience. So that's beside the point because this is fiction. But I do smell a CIA public opinion operation going on. As noted by others here, the CIA coup in 1953 was a joint CIA/MI6 venture that overthrew a democratically elected government and we're still suffering the consequences. How has the CIa become heroic in this movie? You'd think the truth would be a much more interesting story, but I suppose it would require writers and directors with more skill than I saw here. It would also require reexamining other things America doesn't bother with, facts and nonexistent WMDs. However, a movie that really honestly revealed that insidious plot might also go a long way to warming relations, but I digress.

The bottom line is that this film is just not great. I gave it a 6 because it's better than average and mildly entertaining when Arkin or Goodman are talking. Affleck's character, however, was particularly insipid, nearly monotonal and had the effect of lulling me to sleep.

I honestly don't think this movie would have sold more than a couple of thousand tickets if the Canadians had made it. Somehow it's going the Oscar route of that masterpiece called "Jerry McGuire". I don't know why anyone bothers with "Lawrence of Arabia" when we have these jewels of perfection to watch over and over.