Recommendation: 4/5 Stars
The Cinephile’s Journey is an attempt to watch and review every film that has won The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar for Best Picture.
Plot: “Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.”
Review: From the outset, the filmmakers behind Argo acknowledge the complicated relationship between the United States and Iran. Throughout much of the 19th century, the U.S. attempted and succeeded in many regime changes in countries our leaders deemed hostile to our national interests. This sort of heavy diplomacy and interference made few friends and lasting enemies. Topping that list in the 1970s might have been Iran. By choosing to acknowledge this truth, we get a less sanitized and patriotic version of the truth. Certainly, we can still view this story as a battle between good and evil, but once we take past intrusions into account, the story becomes more complex..
The other thing this film does exceptionally well is choosing to not get bogged down in that shared history. Our attempts at regime change could be its own movie, but this one is not concerned with telling that story. This fast-paced film is intensely focused on the six Americans who escaped the overrun American embassy and found safety in the Canadian ambassador’s home. Choosing to summarize the past and then focusing on the rescue mission on hand draws you in instantly and raises the stakes.
Now, the plot of this film can feel overly simplistic. After several plans are considered on how to extract the six Americans from the country, C.I.A. agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) pitches the cover story of filmmakers on location scouting potential locations for a science fiction movie. Of all the bad ideas, this is the best one. As Mendez goes about the business of finding a script, faking a reading, setting up a production office, forming backstories, and launching a movie that will never get made, I could not help but smile. The plan is ridiculous, but it speaks to people’s vanity and love affair with Hollywood. As the plan fully unfolds, I could not help but find beauty in the simplicity.
The last act of the film is the most powerful. With manufactured backstories and support from the six Americans, we see the million points of potential failure. Location scouting could get them caught. Leaving the Canadian ambassador’s home could have them arrested, tried, and killed. Failure to commit their backstories could unravel everything. All these realities are front and center, but nothing compares to the tension of the airport.
As Mendez leads his fake film crew through the airport, levels of security and scrutiny meet them at every turn. At every level, you will see ways in which the plan might finally fail. Never in my life has airport security and a gate check been so agonizing, but the payoff is a beautiful thing to behold.
Argo is not a perfect film, but it is a hell of a ride that left me gripping the edge of my seat. On a second viewing, the tension remained despite the known outcome. To me, that is a sure sign of quality.
Be good to each other,
Nathan