In the "Golden Age" of great cinema (the 70s) this would not have got a nomination for a best picture Oscar. To-day ?? it actually won B.P. It is the way things are now...progress ..? not at all, just change and in what the studios can get away with. Having said that, 2013 will go down as a weak year for films. Ben Affleck directs well in the easy parts. But Robert Altman would be turning in his grave at the dialogue scenes (particularly those with more than two characters). It is an art that only the great (or very good directors) get right. O.K., its BASED on a true story (big deal). It is like an old 2nd world war movie...the Germans were shown to be stupid. This time its the Iranians. People are calling it clever...and only the Americans could have pulled it off. That is total rubbish. Enjoy this for what it is...a run of the mill adventure flick...and that is all. (Special mention for Alan Arkin, who had ALL the funny one liners...and he delivered them brilliantly). 5% of this movie MAY have been true.