‘Argo’ Trailer: Ben Affleck Has A Hostage Crisis

No one in Hollywood “bats a thousand,” as they say, but Ben Affleck’s directorial career comes awfully close. His first two efforts – ‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘The Town’ – were expertly crafted examples of New England crime noir. Now he’s expanding his scope with the international thriller ‘Argo,’ which just teased its first trailer.

Affleck’s period drama, set in the late 1970s, is based on the true story of a government team tasked with rescuing six American citizens from a difficult situation in Iran. As you’ll see, Affleck’s character comes up with an unusual method for extrapolating the U.S. embassy workers … but really, the clip does such a fine job of explaining, you should just watch the first trailer.

Even if ‘Argo’ marked Affleck’s first directorial effort, we’d be excited to see what this cast - Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall and the always welcome Victor Garber - could put together.  Factor in the political intrigue and the Hollywood twist angle, and ‘Argo’ sits near the top of our dying-to-see list for the rest of 2012.

Warner Bros. recently moved ‘Argo’ to Oct. 12, though expect it to play the Toronto International Film Festival as the studio tests the film’s Oscar prospects. For now, here’s the trailer: