I'm really excited for the way this year has been shaping up, so far as film goes. And while this year has been punctuated by some good political works and thrillers, Argo is a successful combination of the two, with an even more unique plot. Being a true story, makes this one icing on the cake.
After being treated to a retro, WB-logo opening, the audience is briefed on the global political situation in 1979: The cancer-ridden Shah of Iran is controversially granted asylum in the United States, leaving his country behind poor, and his people bitter; all allegedly due to his excessive lifestyle and forced Westernization. Later that year, angry Iranians storm the American embassy, taking hostages while six manage to escape, taking sanctuary in the Canadian embassy. In 1980, knowing the foreign-servicemen and women's time in Iran is short, CIA agent Tony Mendez plans an extradition involving a false Canadian film production for a sci-fi sleazefest called "Argo." Once in Iran, Mendez needs to appease both the government and his countrymen that he needs to rescue, before executing the operation itself.
Argo is a caper film that feels very much like a product of it's time, and that's a good thing. Thrillers were among the top of their game around this point in time, at least what I've seen on an international scale. There's not a whole lot of action, but instead replaced by tense moments, human drama, and skilled attempts at making documentary/news footage relevant with what's happening. Essentially, the film is broken down into three tangible acts where the rescue operation is chronicled. By the time the film reaches the third act, you know how it's going to go down, but you're just as scared as the Americans as director Ben Affleck jumps us through Hitchcockian-hoops of tension that had my audience audibly gasping for air after these moments passed.
So then, the one area where Argo does feel a little strange is during the Hollywood sequence, where Mendez needs to find a pitch for the film. It's highly comical, lighthearted, and entertaining (with a hilarious performance by Alan Arkin, as a cantankerous producer), but felt a little out of place with the cold sincerity of the rest of the film. It's really hard to fault one part that happens to be highly entertaining, it's just a litte inconsistent with the tone of everything else.
Nonetheless, Argo is a tense, character-driven thriller that is definitely worth your time, and possibly one of the better films that you'll see all year. I won't be surprised if it picks up a few nods over the course of next year.
9/10
Peace,
- Jon
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