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The worlds of Hollywood and international intrigue have always been good bedfellows. Just look at the proliferation of political thrillers in the 70s, or the continued success of characters like James Bond or Jason Bourne, that allows audiences to zip all over the globe while some sort of global conspiracy waits to be overturned or uncovered. However, in 1979, those two worlds came together in a way that created a remarkable, true-life story that saw show business team with the CIA in order to perform the extraction of American citizens stranded within a volatile Tehran.
Only declassified in 1997, the story was ultimately filmed by Ben Affleck in 2012 which subsequently went on to nab Oscar glory, but in the years since, has the story of Hollywood saving the day still retained its sheen, or is it a case of self-congratulatory Tinseltown patting itself on the back?
The year is 1979, and after the right of asylum is granted to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi by President Jimmy Carter, outraged Iranian Islamists storm the United States embassy in Tehran. The reason public opinion has become so heated is that the former leader was originally put in power by the West and after being overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, Shah’s escape to American soil meant that he couldn’t answer for his crimes. In the wake of the storming of the embassy, sixty-six members of staff are taken hostage, but six managed to predict which way the tide was turning and managed to leave before the you-know-what hit the fan. However, despite avoiding capture and taking refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador, there’s still the sizable issue of getting them out of a hostile country.
As the CIA weighs up their options and a string of half-hearted escape plans involving bicycles and farming, exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez decides to weigh in with his expert opinion and shoot down the rather weak suggestions. However, when pressed for an idea of his own, Mendez eventually hits upon a rather bizarre plan that involves him creating a cover story for the escapees to pose as Canadian filmmakers who are scouting exotic locations for a science fiction film hoping to shoot in Iran.
But before he can head abroad to deliver those fake identities in person, Mendez has to create an air tight cover story by recruiting make-up artist John Chambers and Lester Siegel to create an actual real, fake movie. As time runs out and the CIA rapidly loses faith in Tony’s plan, the hunt for the escapees by angry locals ramps up, so Mendez flies out in order to school the Americans about their new identities. But can this elaborate ruse involving a phoney sci-fi Star Wars rip-off named “Argo” really get everyone back home in time?
Despite only tackling his third movie as a director, Ben Affleck seems to recognise that when you have a true story as outlandish as Argo, you don’t need to hurl lots of flamboyant filmmaking touches at it, when a tight grasp of tension will do. As a result, there’s a reassuring meat and potatoes feel about Affleck’s handling of such fertile events that prioritises good old fashioned plotting over frenzied editing. Of course, when it comes to movies based on true events, there’s the usual number of outside hurdles that have to be traversed – for a start, there’s the usual bucket load of historical inaccuracies in place that seemingly glamorise the CIA while negating the involvement of Canada in the operation. But also there’s also the expected use of Iranians as scary villains as the six Americans take refuge from every suspicious glare and distrustful glance – which feels a little uncomfortable at times when it lands that we’re essentially watching Hollywood save the day against Iran. However, there’s not many political thrillers based on true events that don’t rub up against some sort of potentially problematic fact at some point, so your enjoyment of Argo in such turbulent times will probably hinge on whether or not it’s actually well made movie.
Well, of that we can be fairly certain, because while I’m not entirely convinced that Argo should have taken home a gold statue at the Oscars, it certainly deserves it nomination, and Affleck comfortably shows that previous directorial efforts, Gome Baby Gone and The Town, were no fluke. There’s something clean and precise about Affleck’s style here, simply presenting the various issues and then stacking them on top of one another until the tension rises like a geopolitical soufflé. In fact, at numerous times, Argo deals in some stock plot threads in order to jack the pressure up even higher, such as one of the escapees proving to be difficult because he doesn’t trust the plan, or interfering CIA bosses trying to scupper matters due to a lack of faith or vision. But the thing is, it all comes together to form a wonderful whole where even the slight mentions of Affleck’s Mendez hoping he’s still a good father despite spending so much time away, adds to the recipe despite being a little superfluous.
The spy stuff works great, with the opening storming of the embassy proving to be a genuinely terrifying affair, as files are hastily shredded as the walls breached by angry Islamists. And as the six escapees (including Scoot McNairy, Clea DuVall and Tate Donovan) start to go stir crazy under the mounting pressure, we build to a final push to the airport which will cause you to gnaw through your fingernails as that unforgiving tension builds even more. However, while all the stuff set in Iran is highly effective (especially if you’re recruiting for the CIA), it’s all stuff that you could find in most, competent, real life spy movies. No, the real memorable parts of Argo comes from the Hollywood side of the plot.
As Affleck’s non-nonsense exfiltration guy finds himself having to get progressively deeper into the movie business to make Argo pass as a real production, we find that Affleck the director has a feel for bygone eras of filmmaking that gives his movie the edge it needs. It’s mainly supplied by the sardonic, abrasive double-act of John Goodman’s FX guy and Alan Arkin’s producer who guide us and Mendez through the complex bullshit that is mandatory when mounting a production – even a fake one. Firing out quotable dialogue like they’re being paid by the razor sharp zinger, both Goodman and Arkin provide the heart (and vital laughs at Hollywood’s expence) to perfectly ballance the molar grinding tension of the other stuff. “If it’s going to be a fake movie, it’s going to be a fake hit.” intones Lester at one point, and who can’t love a film where an unofficial catchphrase spawns that has people saying “Argo fuck yourself” at one another?
Featuring an expanded cast that’ll no doubt you leaping onto IMDb at regular intervals in order to work out where you’ve seen them before, the real proof in Argo’s pudding is that it knows when to be funny and it knows when to squeeze your nerves in a merciless grip. No offence to Affleck the actor; but while he’s something of a straight man in all this while surrounded by talent, Affleck the director handles the big picture with rock-solid confidence.
Argo see it.
