Set in 1979, Argo is a political thriller that follows CIA operative and ‘exfiltration’ specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) as he tries to extract six American citizens who are hiding out in the Canadian embassy during the Iran Hostage Crisis. With extraction options limited, the CIA has to come up with the “best bad idea” and try and execute it. Tony comes up with an idea in which he pretends to make a fake movie and the hostages are part of his Canadian film crew scouting for shooting location. With the help of Academy Award winning make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and actor Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), Tony is able to pitch his fake sci-fi adventure Argo as the best option for saving the six American lives.
Argo was a film that was going to win me over no matter what and I think that’s the case for a majority of people. First, when Ben Affleck is in the director’s chair he doesn’t mess around and his films have since been praised by both audience goers and critics alike. Next, look at the cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Victor Garber (you’d know him if you saw him). All are actors people know and love and are a group that you can tell will mesh together well, offering a nice blend of exciting drama and comedic relief (just watch the trailer for proof). Now add a really cool and intense story based on true events to the mix and you’ve got yourself a highly anticipated film with even higher expectations. So does the movie succeed in hitting its mark? Abso-freakin-lutely.
Argo opens up with a great scene that really sets the bar for the type of tension you’ll experience throughout the rest of the film. It opens with a hostile Iranian crowd who then storm the US embassy, taking the 52 remaining Americans hostage while the others attempt to find shelter. The scene abruptly ends and the mood is somewhat lightened with a humorous exchange between Bryan Cranston and Ben Affleck as the CIA discovers what has happened in Iran. This tonal duality exists throughout the film to help alleviate the escalating stress and tension that will eventually take over come the third act. Whenever we’re in Hollywood we get a bunch of jokes from a charismatic and wise crackin’ Allen Arkin and John Goodman and when we switch to Affleck and Iran everything becomes serious. Affleck does a great job of balancing the humor and the drama, pacing the movie so well that you don’t even notice how quickly your heart rate changes when you experience the quick tonal shift.
All of the scenes in Iran are extremely gripping and the film pulls you in so much that it becomes impossible to notice anything else going on around you. This is especially true for the riveting climax and final 30 minutes. I felt as if I was in a zone that I couldn’t escape. I was clutching on my legs, my arm rests, I was holding my breath all in anticipation to see if the plan would implode, if they would escape and if the Iranians found out these Americans existed. I think having no knowledge of this story helped make it more compelling for a history lover like me.
I also found myself captivated by all of the actors’ performances and how likable they all were. This is mostly due to the fact that everyone wanted to do the right thing not for personal gain, but because it was the right thing to do.
For me, th
e weirdest part about the film was how timely it felt. It was released only a few weeks after an American ambassador was killed during a Libyan US consulate storming and, for some, the tensions are still high. I’m curious if anyone else will notice this errie similarity.
I personally couldn’t find much to hate on with this movie as I was only paying attention to its awesomely gripping and exciting tale, but if there was one area people might complain about it’s the ending. SPOILER For some, they may think it’s too Hollywood for the way Tony approaches his family and everything seemingly falls into place. Personally, and for the first time, I found that it was appropriate to return home to see his semi-estranged wife and kid. You can read Tony’s experience all over his face and since the guy now lives happily with his family in real life it only seems to make sense to me that this could be plausible. One could never know exactly unless you ask the real life individual but it seems like a stupid thing to get hung on.
Ben Affleck’s certainly has another hit on his hands and it most definitely will do well at the US box office. It’s tough to compare it to his prior films like The Town since they are very different, but I think this is his strongest and most complete work to date. Overall, Argo is a thrilling cinematic venture that’s smart, tense and, overall, great entertainment.
Oh, and if you don’t like the movie, you can “Argofuckyourself.” That is all.
Rating: A palm-sweating political thriller (7.8)
Thanks to Warner Bros., GK Films and The Peggy Siegal Company for giving me the opportunity to attend the NY premiere of Argo.
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