Film Review №3

Argo

Genres Drama Thriller
Running Time 120 min
MPAA rating R
Release Date Aug 31, 2012

Starring

Ben Affleck - Tony Mendez
Bryan Cranston - Jack O'Donnell
Alan Arkin - Lester Siegel
John Goodman - John Chambers
Victor Garber - Ken Taylor
Tate Donovan - Bob Anders
Clea DuVall -Cora Lijek
Scoot McNairy - Joe Stafford
Rory Cochrane - Lee Schatz
Christopher Denham - Mark Lijek

Plot

On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it's just a matter of time before the refugees are found and likely executed, the U.S. government calls on extractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to rescue them. Mendez's plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the refugees to act as his "film" crew.

Review

I enjoyed 'Argo', and perhaps the most gripping part of the film is the opening, as the US embassy is about to be taken over by fanatical 'students' and supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini, who just returned to Iran as a result of the 1979 revolution. Ben Affleck does a great job in chronicling how US embassy staff members went about shredding classified documents, minutes before the embassy compound is taken over by the fanatics. Equally fascinating is the way in which the six US staff members make their escape, as they simply walk out on to the street from an adjoining building, while the crazed Iranians are focusing on attacking the main part of the compound.

As the Argo story develops, with Mendez flying to Iran posing as a Canadian film producer and establishing contact with the Iranian film board, it all seemed quite plausible. And when Mendez takes the six members to a bazaar in the city, where their cover is almost blown when confronted by an angry crowd, that also seemed quite real. But when we finally arrive at the crucial scene, where the six must get past an Iranian ticket taker at the airport, without any proof that they actually came into the country, I wondered if that happened the way it's depicted in the film. It turns out that in reality, the Canadian ambassador's wife purchased three separate sets of tickets on three different airlines for the six embassy staff members.

Finally, perhaps the most suspenseful part of the film, the confrontation with the Revolutionary guards at the departure gate, the call to Hollywood to confirm Mendez's cover and big chase out on the runway—none of that ever happened.

I was most impressed by the casting choices for the six embassy staff members. The ID cards of the actual escapees are shown during the closing credits, juxtaposed with the actors playing them. Take a look at the resemblance between the real and the fictional characters. It's uncanny!