Argo

 

 In a short amount of time, Ben Affleck has proven himself to be quite the reliable filmmaker, thanks to movies like Gone Baby Gone and The Town.  Now he brings us Argo, and it's not only his best directorial effort (and probably his best acting in a while), but the best film of 2012 so far.  This is a spellbinding, intense, and at times hilarious look at how a fake sci-fi movie wound up saving the lives of six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979.

For once, the words 'based on a true story" help the film, rather than hinder it.  That's because Affleck creates a real sense of time, by not only getting the details of the period right, but by also giving us the point-by-point details of the operation to rescue the hostages.  The movie is constantly cross-cutting to different parts of the world, and the people who helped pull the mission off, and it makes the film all the more intense, as we're watching the hostages trying to make their way down the street in Iran without being noticed, while at the same time, CIA agents overseas are scrambling to keep things from falling apart.  This is an expertly pulled off spy drama that avoids the usual trappings of the genre, such as gadgets, car chases, and fist fights.  Instead, the tension comes from the movie's relentless pace (it's two hours long, but sure doesn't feel like it), and the overall sense that things could go wrong at any minute.  Yes, we already know the outcome walking in, but Affleck and screenwriter Chris Terrio still manage to keep us glued to our seats in suspense.

After a harrowing recreation of the Iranian people overthrowing the American Embassy on November 4th, 1979, six Americans manage to escape, and find refuge in the Canadian Embassy, where they were hidden away in an underground cellar.  The US government has a very short amount of time to figure out a way to get into Iran and escort the six out without being noticed, as the shredded documents at the American Embassy are slowly being pieced back together by the Iranians, and they are bound to find out sooner or later that some of the people within the building at the time of the attack managed to get away.  The best idea that the CIA can come up with is to give the Americans over there some bicycles, and let them pedal their way across the border.  But CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) has a better, if not riskier, idea.

After watching a Planet of the Apes movie with his son on TV and seeing the desert landscape used in the film, Tony comes up with the plan to dream up a fake Star Wars-knock off called Argo, which would require a desert setting.  His plan is to travel to Iran, meet the six Americans, and then create a cover story where they are a Canadian film crew doing a location scout for the fictional film.  In order to give his film project authenticity, he enlists the help of two Hollywood pros, producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and monster make up designer, John Chambers (John Goodman).  They help Tony lend his fake film some merit by running an ad in Variety, creating authentic storyboards, and even throwing a lavish Hollywood party.  All of this is a ruse so Tony can go to Iran, meet the American hostages, and then give them their cover stories where they are posing as a film crew (one's a director, one's a writer, etc.)

Argo tells its story with a sense of urgency, and a surprising amount of knowing wit, with much of the humor being provided by Goodman and Arkin as the two Hollywood big shots who put this fake film project together, knowing well in advance that nothing will actually come of it.  Once the focus of the film turns to the actual rescue of the six Americans, the movie expertly ratchets up the tension by showing how how events unfolded almost minute by minute.  The movie is constantly cross-cutting from Iran, to Washington, and even Hollywood, to show us just how everything was pulled off with pin-point accuracy.  I'm sure much of this is dramatized, as there are a bit too many close calls to be coincidental, but it is still spectacular filmmaking all around.  The performances, Affleck's direction, the editing, and the tightly-wound script keep us engaged, making the last half of Argo probably the most enjoyable tense time I've had at a movie in years.

It's rare for a movie to work this well, but Argo never really drags or slows down.  It not only grabs our attention, but it also takes us directly to the time it's set in, thanks to archival footage of the actual event.  An especially big shock to me was seeing how accurate the casting in this film was.  During the end credits, we get to see photos of the actual six Americans who were hiding out in the Canadian Embassy, and it is amazing how much the actors look like their real life counterparts.  I'm sure make up plays a big part in this, but it's still quite an achievement, and the performances are all first rate here.  This is a movie that you can tell has been expertly researched.  Everything just feels so real and accurate.  It's a stunning achievement, and in one big stroke, puts Affleck up in the A-list as a director and storyteller, in my opinion.

 

One final note: The movie is rated-R, but I can't imagine this being a film that most parents would object to their teenagers sitting through.  There's one bloodless on-screen death, and a couple utterances of the "F-word", and that's about it.  This is a movie that should be seen by a wide audience, so hopefully both adults and intelligent teen viewers will seek this one out.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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