Argo is a gem. Even though many know the ending, it’s got some genuine edge of your seat moments, just-right details, excellent acting, and a screenplay that never insults the audience intelligence. Ben Affleck is the director and this time the critical praise is deserved.
Argo is based on a true story. It’s about a daring rescue attempt of 6 people from Iran during the 1979/80 hostage crisis. Affleck stars as CIA operative Tony Mendez who hatches a truly far-fetched plan to attempt to rescue 6 American Embassy employees who slipped away from their would-be Iranian captors as they took over the American compound on November 4th, 1979 and managed to hide out in the Canadian Ambassador’s residence. There is only a very short window of time before the Iranian’s discover 6 people have eluded capture.
After 10 weeks, the best plan the CIA has come up with involves getting the Americans to bicycle hundreds of miles to the Turkish border. It can’t possibly succeed and Mendez (Affleck) realizes this and brainstorms an absolutely crazy idea that’s so out-there it might actually work. His idea involves creating false identities for the 6 Americans and pretending that they are planning to shoot a Star Wars knock-off film with Iranian locations called Argo. To help him, Mendez enlists some Hollywood insiders starting with an award winning make-up specialist, John Chambers (played brilliantly by John Goodman), the guy who got really famous in the 60s for inventing Star Trek’s Spock’s Vulcan ears. They recruit an almost retired producer Lester Siegel (perfectly played by Alan Arkin) and create a Hollywood buzz for the movie that doesn’t actually exist.
We watch as the utterly improbably absurd plan starts to come together and then nearly unravels as the U.S. government has second thoughts AFTER the plan has already begun. Bryan Cranston as Mendez’s boss and Victor Garber as the Canadian Ambassador are also perfectly cast and stand-out.
What I also noticed is how nearly perfect all the details were. We are in 1979 with the hair-styles, clothes, props and even the way people speak reflecting the era. The integration of archive news footage, and recreated locations is seamless. The film has the look of a medium budget mid-70s film, which helps everything blend together visually. It also isn’t edited like a brand new movie with lots of quick cuts and splashy hyperactivity, but rather has a quieter, sort of laid-back pace to it, that builds to a knuckle-biting climax.
There’s plenty of humor, but it’s never forced and often character based. This might disappoint some who because of the trailers might be expecting a movie that’s looser and wilder. Remember this is based on a true story, and it’s set up as a thriller more than an action-comedy.
Affleck as an actor underplays and some may see him a bit bland in the role—but it’s the right choice he’s made. The real life Mendez was a master of disguise—and although none of that is part of this film, it’s important that Mendez is a quiet, trustworthy sort of person that doesn’t call too much attention to himself or we wouldn’t believe what we are seeing—even knowing it’s mostly true. He has stay to calm, even when serious problems develop. Affleck’s quieter performance also gives the supporting actors more contrast.
Argo was both better and a little different than I was expecting. It’s a tight, well-paced thriller with a wild but true premise allowing moments of believable humor. The acting, particularly from Arkin and Goodman and the supporting players is top-notch.
