As though his first two features Gone,
Baby, Gone and The Town weren't proof enough, Argo
provides further evidence of Ben Affleck's continued maturation as a
skillful, no-nonsense director. Falling into the unimpeachable
category of “a good story, well told”, Argo is a near perfect
Hollywood dramatization of a true story, deftly balancing tight
thrills, human drama, and comic relief within a hugely entertaining
and satisfying picture.
Starting off with a very brief history
of Iran's political turmoil in the mid-to-late 70s, Affleck proceeds
to drop us into a riveting opening sequence of a civilian mob
storming the American embassy, brilliantly splicing together archived news
footage with meticulously recreated shots (this scene alone is enough
to justify William Goldenberg walking away with next year's Oscar for
Best Film Editing). Intent on taking hostages so that the U.S. will
relinquish the detested Shah who is being harboured stateside, the
revolutionaries capture all but six embassy employees, who slip out
the back and seek shelter at the house of the Canadian ambassador
(Victor Garber). To prevent the unaccounted-for six from being hunted
down and executed as spies, the CIA rushes to enact and escape plan.
Dissatisfied with his colleagues' suggestions, special agent Tony
Mendez (Affleck) comes up with an unlikely strategy to smuggle out
the fugitives; as a Canadian film crew on a location scout for a
sci-fi movie.
With help from his Hollywood contact John Chambers and producer Lester Siegel (John Goodman and Alan Arkin respectively, providing much of the film's levity), Mendez concocts a convincing cover for his mission to Iran, but convincing his six nervous passengers to go along with the rickety scheme proves more difficult than fooling the Iranian revolutionaries on the vigilant lookout for them.
All petty quibbles about the historical
accuracy of this supposedly true story aside, Argo is an exemplar of
storytelling, which is ultimately more important than a stolid
transcription of the facts. Scripted with layered, narrative
precision by Chris Terrio, the filmmakers are able to derive great
tension from the jeopardy of our heroes even though we basically know
how it all ends. No one has ever made getting held up at the airport
as exciting as Affleck and film editor William Goldenberg do here.
The other production values aren't particularly showy, but prove
invaluable in creating a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts.
Rodrigo Prieto's crisp cinematography indulges in a few striking
images here and there, but mostly serves as an efficient vehicle for
the precise period sets, costuming, and of course, the performances.
Every inch an organic ensemble, the
acting really pops without overt limelight hogging. Goodman and Arkin
delight with their warmly acerbic takes on some Hollywood
stereotypes. Breaking Bad anchor Bryan Cranston is heated and
harried as Mendez's CIA boss. Garber conveys restrained concern as
the saintly Canadian ambassador, and the six-would be hostages make
the most of divided screen exposure to evoke their characters. At the
nexus of it all is Affleck, giving a quiet, selfless central
performance that allows his cast to work wonders around him.
**** out of ****
