As you may well know “Argo” is a pulse accelerating political thriller based on an actual declassified CIA operation that looked to extract 6 Americans from Iran during the Hostage Crisis more than thirty years ago. The particulars of the case will leave your jaw in the aisles as director/star Ben Affleck takes the incredible source material and runs hard with it.
This is Affleck’s first film that doesn’t center on his beloved Boston (“Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town”) and leaving his comfort zone has allowed him to stretch as a director. Perfect pacing and expert staging of events leads to a tension filled third act that is nearly unbearable to watch. My heart was literally pounding out of my chest. “Argo” is also something unique: A pro-American film that doesn’t pick a political party to side with. This is an exciting breath of fresh air and a near-miracle considering George Clooney is one of the producers.
While entertaining, “Argo” also proves to be a sort of history lesson. In 1979 an enraged group of militant Islamists seized the American Embassy in Tehran when we allowed the country’s dethroned Shah take refuge in our country. These images are eerie to witness and unfortunately topical as they are mirrored by recent events in Libya and the horrible murder of US Ambassador Chris Stevens. It seems in the Middle East, the wrong sort of history seems destined to repeat.
During the seizure, the 6 Americans escape and take refuge in the home of the Canadian Ambassador. But with the country locked down, they have no way to escape. That’s when things get interesting. Extraction expert Tony Mendez (Affleck. He gave himself the biggest role of course) comes up with a crackpot idea: Have the six pose as a Canadian film crew scouting locations in Iran. He sets up a faux production company with the help of Academy Award winning Make Up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and schlock producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and heads into Iran to try to execute one of the craziest operations in U.S. history. That we know about, of course.
“Argo” has a lot of information to dole out and the first half of the film is a constant stream of rapid fire dialogue. This is “All the President’s Men” mixed with “Munich”. While these fast talking films can be hard to follow, here everything is presented tight and focused. Despite the heavy material, Affleck gives the story a good-natured humor with help from Arkin and Goodman. The amount of laughs found in a movie about the Iranian Hostage Crisis was nice surprise.
The script by first-time feature writer Chris Terrio is a marvel as it balances the absurdity of the situation with the stark reality of a terrible chapter in American history. Most of the characters are fleshed out although there are some in our group of six that we never really get to know. Example: Rory Cochrane (“Dazed and Confused”) is nearly unrecognizable as Cheech Marin look-alike Lee Schatz and barely speaks a word.
Despite a tiny flaw or two, “Argo” is extremely well put together and that credit goes to Affleck. He juggles the multiple subplots with ease and the audience was literally groaning with anticipation by the final credits. Who knew the man who ate the turkey in “Gigli” would become this generations Clint Eastwood? (That maybe a touch premature but he’s on the path at least). “Argo” is first-rate storytelling and one of my favorite films of the year.