With scenes of the revolutionary forces breaking down the gates of the U.S. embassy, public hangings and women with machine guns, “Argo” holds nothing back in its depiction of the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis.
Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (“The Town,” “Good Will Hunting”) directs and stars in this suspenseful thriller produced by Oscar nominee Grant Heslov and Oscar winner George Clooney. The movie draws inspiration from the events of the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, Antonio Mendez’s book “The Master of Disguise” and the article“The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman.
“Argo” begins in the midst of the violent 1979 Iran Crisis, during which hundreds of Iranian revolutionaries stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages in the embassy and leaving only six to escape.
The film then depicts vivid scenes of the Iranians burning the American flag and jumping over the gates of the embassy, giving the viewer a clear image of the chaos that had enveloped the country. The sense of urgency and suspense is further heightened when U.S. marshals throw tear gas into the crowds, as U.S. officials rush to burn all the documents in the embassy and six lucky officials manage to escape.
Then Affleck’s character Tony Mendez, a top CIA extractor, steps in. Mendez is assigned the task of bringing the six escapees safely back home from their hiding place in the house of the Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber).
To execute his plan of faking a film production to free the hostages, Mendez goes straight to Hollywood. The scenes depicting Mendez’s time in Hollywood add most of the comic relief, as he meets with world-renowned costume and prosthetist John Chambers (John Goodman) and the boisterous producer Lester Siegel, played by Oscar winner Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”). This quirky duo of Chambers and Siegel is responsible for most of the film’s dark, witty humor that gives it such a biting edge.
Chambers, Siegel and Mendez eventually come up with the plan of faking a science-fiction film called “Argo.” This would allow Mendez entrance into Iran, posing as a Canadian film scout, in order to deliver the six hostages to safety.
While in the process of casting and publicizing their fake production, the dark humor interjected by the characters Chambers and Siegel serves to satirize 70s Hollywood, while also highlighting the profound contrast between their situation and the grave scenario in Iran.
Once Mendez’s plan is underway, he journeys to Iran to free the hostages in a succession of fast-paced scenes that leaves the viewers with their hearts racing, on the edge of their seats.
However, the historical accuracy of these scenes must also be noted, as director Ben Affleck decided to stay remarkably true to the time period and the general depiction of events. The oddly-shaped mustaches, large glasses and baggy, dull-colored clothing are spot-on.
The actual events taking place in Iran during the Iranian hostage crisis are also impressively accurate. Scenes such as the burning of the American flag, the storming of the Embassy and the press conferences held by the revolutionary forces were all derived from pictures taken during that time, as shown later in the credits.
However, this attention to historical accuracy can also take away from the drama of the film and render it a little “dry” and anti-climatic at some points.
Despite this, “Argo” does include enough Hollywood-induced drama to make the viewers feel a certain empathy for the characters, as well as enough action to keep them on the edge of their seats the whole time.
“Argo” certainly proves to be a thought-provoking thriller that balances out the weight of the historical events with an enticing and entertaining narrative.
