Year: 2012
Director: Ben Affleck
Country: US
Language: English
When Ben Affleck is good he is gold, Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy and Gone Baby Gone have been pierced in my mind and are not easily forgotten films. When Ben Affleck is bad he is utter crap, Gigli, Daredevil and Jersey Girl are films that I and most people in the world would like to forget. Daredevil was so bad that it almost destroyed his career, but Affleck has been proven to be a man who gets back up when he is knocked down. He has revived his career & become a prolific director. Argo is just another one of his Golden moments.
Argo is set in 1979 when the American embassy in Iran was invaded by Iranian revolutionaries and several Americans are taken hostage. Six manage to escape to the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador and the CIA is eventually ordered to get them out of the country. Exfiltration expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) devises a daring plan: to create a phony Canadian film project looking to shoot in Iran and smuggle the Americans out as its production crew. With the help of some trusted Hollywood contacts.
The scheme is ridiculous, yet it's based on a true story. Unlike most films that say they are based on "true stories" this one actually took place. Its story is so farfetched that no Hollywood writer would be able to think it up themselves. Argo is one of the rare films that is both suspenseful and humorous, John Goodman gets most of the laughs and has a surprisingly good performance as make-up man John Chambers. The plot is almost a suicide mission for the fake filmmakers, it is an intense film because it is unpredictable, you can't really foresee how they can get away with their phony Canadian film.
The editing and pacing of this film is fantastic, many scenes will leave you on the edge of your seat. The change in tone from different scenes, one scene will be dramatic and the next might be for comedic relief is rather fluid. It is on pace and enhances the film rather than making it awkward and feeling out of place. The production design really captured everything about the time period (the 80's) in which this story took place, from the cars to the clothes. The only negative aspect about the film is that it is far too pro-American. In reality it was a Canadian who was the hero. It also shows an unrealistic depiction of Iranians, which American filmmakers desperately need to avoid doing.
In conclusion, while an argument can be made that this is indeed a propogandic pro-american film, this is undeniably a well made film that is quite entertaining and smart. It is a film that strays into fantasy and penetrates the imagination, interesting and "original" films can come out of Hollywood. Ben Affleck is three for three with the films he has directed and I hope he makes some more. Will he win Best Picture this year? I doubt it, but I'm not denying that Argo is a really fun film. 3.5/5
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