Movie review: Argo
Argo, simply put is an excellent cinematic adventure. The film has buzz as possibly being a picture of the year contender, and for good reason.
The movie is the story of six American diplomats in Iran who get kidnapped and held hostage by the Iranians. The Iranians plan on using the American hostages’ as bait for America to give them their leader back.
It is then up to Ben Affleck’s character Tony Mendez to recover and save the six hostages. Mendez is a CIA agent whose plan is to pretend being a movie producer making a fake film in Iran, called Argo to smuggle the six hostages out. His plan is called the “best bad idea,” by his superiors at the CIA.
Even though you already know the outcome it still manages a way to get you enthralled in the story and the wellbeing of the six diplomats. One scene in particular when they go to leave Iran on their way to the airport is a very suspenseful. It makes you appreciate a nice sturdy car window.
The movie claims to be based on a true story and usually the term is used very sparingly, but here it appears to actually be about as factual as you can really get.
It begins with a short film detailing Iran’s early years as part of the Persian Empire and delves into how it became the place it was when theArgo incident took place from November 1979 to January 1980, and then the release of the other hostages’ in 1981.
The images of an American flag burning and Iranians invading an American embassy in the early minutes of the film are powerful and striking images. It establishes a tone for the conflict and even the movie itself.
Speaking of establishing a tone, the setting of the time period could not be better as every part of it feels authentic for the time period. The clothing appears in line with pieces form the time period and they even use archive news reel footage to establish the realism of the movie and its characters.
The acting is sensational, and Allan Arkin should definitely get a nomination for best supporting actor due to his role as the fake film’s producer Lester Siegel. He character is entertaining to watch on screen and also happens to have probably the best line in the entire movie.
If you are a history buff, or just enjoy a nice well-paced thriller, this movie is certainly for you. It does a lot of things right, which is kind of taken for granted these days when it comes to movies. Like previously stated, do not be surprised to see the film being mentioned for best picture or Affleck for best director, both would be justified and well deserved.
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