In the past, Ben Affleck had to venture back to his Boston roots in order to direct films (“The Town,” “Gone Baby Gone”). While this trend is broken in his latest movie, “Argo,” all of Affleck’s works share something in common: well-meaning yet stubborn characters who refuse to give up. It’s no surprise that with such a likeable theme and a track record like Affleck’s, “Argo” is yet another success.
“Argo” starts off with the story behind 1980’s revolution in Iran and the American hostages who were captured at the U.S. Embassy. While the U.S. is at a loss of what to do, it is discovered that six of the Americans escaped, only to hide out in the Canadian Embassy with no safe way to leave Iran.
The story transitions to Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA agent assigned to plan the secret extraction of the six Americans. After some rejected ideas, including biking to Iran’s border, Mendez comes up with a plan of having the Americans be a fake film crew scouting areas in Iran for an upcoming sci-fi flick. After contacting Hollywood make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and screenwriter Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), the idea of Argo is formed. With the help of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber), Mendez makes his way to Iran to help get the Americans home.
“Argo” might be termed a drama or political thriller, but this film’s value lies in suspense. A combination of the movie’s score and Affleck’s close-range shots creates an air of anticipation and uncertainty no matter if you’ve read up on the Canadian Caper incident or not. This, combined with a star cast and brilliant screenplay, makes “Argo” a welcome sight to a range of viewers, despite its R-rating. The story of the 1980 hostages is one that escapes the current generation, but Affleck brings it back to the present with a unique take on the CIA’s point of view.
The name “Argo” might have been taken from the idea of a fake movie, but the current film paints a very real picture of the events that made Tony Mendez an American hero.
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