Tony Mendez (played by Ben Affleck) guffaws lightly at his fellow CIA agents. Their plans to rescue the 6 United States Embassy workers that escaped the Iran Hostage Crisis all sound too terrible to work.
With a smile, he says, “Or you could just send in training wheels and meet them at the border with Gatorade.”
Later, he thinks of a plan so elaborate, it might just work. The plan’s title is “Argo.”
“Argo” is a movie based off the real-life collaborative CIA mission in 1979 and 1980 to save 6 U.S. Embassy workers from Iran after their risky escape from the U.S. Embassy. The film is incredibly tense at every turn. Viewers may feel a little ill because of all the tension in the movie.
However, the tension is lightened a bit by a few moments of dark humor.
The director, Ben Affleck, does an excellent job of cutting the film and setting up the scenes. Watchers can easily feel like they are watching a documentary because the news footage, music, and the environments seem to fit perfectly with the environment. Nothing seems to be fake. Affleck captures recreations of the tense nature of the time in the most authentic nature possible. The scramble the White House and CIA are in, the fear of the Embassy workers, and the anger of the then Iranian revolution seem to reflect what would be the actual nature of the times.
Although the movie feels authentic, the historical accuracy of “Argo” is in question. Canada’s, Britain’s, and New Zealand’s role in the operation is downplayed in the film. The director repeatedly has been questioned about the historical accuracy of the film. In response, Affleck puts notes about Canada’s significant involvement in the operation before the movie’s credits roll. He also told the Sunday Telegraph that he struggled with how to depict Britain and New Zealand in the film and had no means to diminish anyone.
Another flaw of the film is the lack of character development. Little is known about any of the characters except the bare minimum. The lack of character development does not affect movie at all. The narrative of the story is so engrossing, viewers may not even notice the lack of character development until someone points it out to them.
The movie’s “R” rating does not seem to be warranted. There is little violence and no sexual behavior or nudity. The cursing in the movie is not excessive. Characters do not speak a curse word every time they open their mouths.
“Argo” is a great film from start to finish. Even though the film is based on a true story, “Argo” is one of the few films of the year that many viewers may not be able to guess how the situation turns out. Anyone who is a history buff may enjoy this film. Anyone who is into watching movies with an excellent narrative is likely to enjoy “Argo.”
