ArgoSometimes the safest place to hide is in plain sight. Argo is the dramatization of an event that took place in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, where six American members of the embassy escaped and were miraculously exfiltrated by CIA agent, Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), in a joint operation between the United States and Canada. Adapted from true events which only became declassified in 1997, the cover story for this high-risk mission involved Mendez--in his cover identity of Kevin Harkins--working with Hollywood professionals to engineer a "fake movie" called "Argo", and the six Americans were given aliases as members of this fictional film crew--a lie too bold to not be believed.
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Argo captures the spirit of the time when the Iranian Revolution was a current event, how tensions at home and abroad escalated in the flames of hatred. There is a brief but pointed preface claiming that the involvement of the United States was intended to subvert stability in Iran and to install a puppet Shah--and that this led to the rise of figures like Ayatollah Khomeini. The opening of Argo is a dramatization the siege of the American embassy by violent revolutionaries, and is intercut with actual footage, giving the tense standoff a high-degree of verisimilitude. Moments in Argo show television sets tuned to events surrounding the revolution, including interviews with both Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Ayatollah Khomeini, and scenes of violence in America--xenophobia spurred by fear and uncertainty. These tensions cause people to react in the extreme; as it is in Iran, Americans are depicted as being caught up in the swell of anxiety and struggle to comprehend the hostage crisis at the ruined embassy. The six Americans hide in the home of Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor (Victor Garber), recalling the story of Anne Frank. Argo remains timely in its message about people getting pulled into the tensions of politics and global unrest, and how quick they are to adopt a position of antagonism on the basis of patriotism or ideology, which invariably leads to violence and terror--still the same forty years later. The revolution is the backdrop of Argo; but it is less about people "taking sides" than about ordinary people forced to adapt to circumstances beyond their control and to survive by unorthodox means--they are amateur spies forced to act like professional ones. Amidst all the chaos and violence, there is something elegant in Tony's solution to exfiltrate the six Americans by nonviolent means--violence would spell failure for the mission. This approach reveals that the best solutions are often those which rely on brains over brawn.
The most ostentatious part of Argo--aside from that it actually happened--is the length to which Tony goes to ensure the authenticity of his cover story. Tony's time in Hollywood occupies less than half of the film, but it is a refreshing diversion for what is essentially a political thriller. He enlists the aid of his Hollywood contact, Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman), who in turn recruits film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to help sell the "fake film" as genuine; they even host a costumed script reading with actors in costume. It's important that these events are depicted as being outrageous to underscore just how desperate of a play the "Canadian Caper" really was. The reality is that this is the easy part of Tony's plan; it becomes far more dangerous once he crosses over into the Middle East. As important as Tony's expertise is at forging documents, his ability to convince the six Americans that this outrageous plan is their only plan for survival is greater. Tony has to get them to trust him, which isn't easy; one of the more cynical Americans, Joe Stafford (Scoot McNairy), figures out that Tony isn't even using his real name. There's a pervading sense that at any minute, one of the understandably terrified Americans will freak out and the whole mission go up in flames. There is a test-run at the marketplace where they must sell the illusion that they are a legitimate film crew. This serves as a "dry run" for the real gauntlet to come, when they must pass through a series of checkpoints at the international airport to board an airplane under the watchful eyes of hundreds of American-hating revolutionaries armed with fully automatic machine guns. The tension in Argo comes from the audience identifying with the Americans being smuggled out of Iran, wondering how they would react if tasked to deliver such a seemingly impossible acting performance. Just as the Americans are essentially "actors" being coached by Tony recalls the earlier scene when Tony has to pose as the "money" for the fake film, "Argo", portraying a fictional persona in unfamiliar waters. This ability to sympathize with the Americans helps Tony develop trust when he tries to sell his protegees on the same idea later. There is a subplot about Tony's son and his estranged wife which suggests that something has distanced him from his family, and something that his mission in Iran is important in resolving this. Considering Tony's job as a spy, this speaks to a more personal theme in Argo--that there is a time when deception is necessary to save lives, but in order to establish trust, you must first make yourself vulnerable--something he learns on his mission in Iran.
Recommended for: Fans of a gripping political thriller, made more surprising and intriguing because it is based on true events. Argo is a period piece that is an authentic depiction of the era, and depicts the political climate of the day as being as chaotic and fearful...as it sometimes seems today.
The most ostentatious part of Argo--aside from that it actually happened--is the length to which Tony goes to ensure the authenticity of his cover story. Tony's time in Hollywood occupies less than half of the film, but it is a refreshing diversion for what is essentially a political thriller. He enlists the aid of his Hollywood contact, Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman), who in turn recruits film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to help sell the "fake film" as genuine; they even host a costumed script reading with actors in costume. It's important that these events are depicted as being outrageous to underscore just how desperate of a play the "Canadian Caper" really was. The reality is that this is the easy part of Tony's plan; it becomes far more dangerous once he crosses over into the Middle East. As important as Tony's expertise is at forging documents, his ability to convince the six Americans that this outrageous plan is their only plan for survival is greater. Tony has to get them to trust him, which isn't easy; one of the more cynical Americans, Joe Stafford (Scoot McNairy), figures out that Tony isn't even using his real name. There's a pervading sense that at any minute, one of the understandably terrified Americans will freak out and the whole mission go up in flames. There is a test-run at the marketplace where they must sell the illusion that they are a legitimate film crew. This serves as a "dry run" for the real gauntlet to come, when they must pass through a series of checkpoints at the international airport to board an airplane under the watchful eyes of hundreds of American-hating revolutionaries armed with fully automatic machine guns. The tension in Argo comes from the audience identifying with the Americans being smuggled out of Iran, wondering how they would react if tasked to deliver such a seemingly impossible acting performance. Just as the Americans are essentially "actors" being coached by Tony recalls the earlier scene when Tony has to pose as the "money" for the fake film, "Argo", portraying a fictional persona in unfamiliar waters. This ability to sympathize with the Americans helps Tony develop trust when he tries to sell his protegees on the same idea later. There is a subplot about Tony's son and his estranged wife which suggests that something has distanced him from his family, and something that his mission in Iran is important in resolving this. Considering Tony's job as a spy, this speaks to a more personal theme in Argo--that there is a time when deception is necessary to save lives, but in order to establish trust, you must first make yourself vulnerable--something he learns on his mission in Iran.
Recommended for: Fans of a gripping political thriller, made more surprising and intriguing because it is based on true events. Argo is a period piece that is an authentic depiction of the era, and depicts the political climate of the day as being as chaotic and fearful...as it sometimes seems today.