Argo

In 1979, fifty-two Americans were held hostage over the course of 444 days when the United States Embassy in Tehran was captured by a group of militants in support of the Iranian Revolution. During this raid, six US diplomats narrowly escape capture, taking refuge in the home of the Canadian Ambassador. These six were carefully extracted by a CIA operative named Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), in a creative plan to pose as Canadian Filmmakers and act as if the hostages were part of the original film crew. This story was classified material until the Clinton administration revealed its details. In the near twenty years leading up to its declassification, the world thought Canada had performed the zealous rescue. A daring plot, and mostly true. Volumes have been written in the annals of film review regarding the historical inaccuracies between Argo and the actual events of 1979-1980’s Tehran. Many genuinely angry that they were not given documentary-like information into what actually happened during the rescue, but stay calm: it’s only a movie.

Our film opens with the details of the take-over within the American Embassy. The palpable tension of the film starts as soon as the gates are breached, and stays with the viewer until the end credits. Even moments of implied “safety” or “success” still carry a feel of dread and danger. This is a film done so well, the viewer is emotionally invested in the very real jeopardy on screen. Movies of government operations have been made for decades, its very rare we see one based on the consummate art of exfiltration. Prior to Argo, many may not have known it was a profession. From guns-blazing action-packed entrances to enemy territory, SWAT fly-ins and tactical helicopter drop infiltrations, the practice of exfiltration seem fresh, and significantly more compelling.

“This is the best bad idea we have, sir… by far”

Among the strengths of Argo, one the viewer may not even be aware of is the stunning attention to detail given to the characters in the film. As the credits role, we are shown the actors of the film that play the US diplomats, alongside their real life counterparts. The similarities are striking; this makes the second and third viewing even more engrossing. Additionally, the environment of the film is just as intriguing; other period pieces lampoon bygone eras, with representations of how the current generation imagines they may have appeared. Late 70’s Hollywood comes to life with brown and yellow earth tones, like the whole region is filmed in sepia. This effect creates an original look that keeps the activity onscreen visually interesting.

The combination of these elements, with the sounds and style of the film, keep the viewer on edge throughout. During my first viewing, I found myself literally tense. The historical accuracies of the film are of little value when seeking out such a truly entertaining experience. For those that attack the film for dramatizing a very real situation, hopefully the film does to others what it did to me: it caused me to go research the true story on my own, and learn what really happened. This did not leave me feeling lied to, the bits that were added for dramatic effect were not an affront to the delicate sensibilities of the viewing audience.

Argo has been nominated for seven Academy Awards

•Best Picture
•Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin
•Best Adapted Screenplay
•Film Editing
•Best Sound Editing
•Best Sound Mixing
•Best Original Score

Argo has already won dozens of awards from film festivals across the country, and won best picture at the 70th Annual Golden Globe awards. To say this movie is a masterpiece is not a risky position to hold. Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, with a star studded cast featuring Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston and Ben Affleck taking the lead role of exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez. Argo has completed its theatrical run, launching in October of 2012, and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 19th.