Argo Review

The Canadian Caper as seen by Ben Affleck.

How much do you know about the Iran hostage crisis? Do you remember studying it in school? Are you old enough that you remember it actually happening? For most of us the entire incident is probably just a hazy understanding that at some point there were some American hostages held in Iran but eventually they were all freed. So hey, no harm no foul right? Definitely wrong.

The crisis started in the winter of 1979 when student protestors stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran taking some 52 American hostages. The Iranian Revolution was in full swing, and these US citizens we're held captive for 444 days before being released after a failed military rescue attempt, and a peace accord was signed in January of 1981. Argo does not tell the story of those 52 hostages.

Argo - Trailer

Instead Argo tells the story of the six Americans who escaped the embassy, and spent months in hiding at the Canadian ambassador's house before being extracted from the country in a CIA covert rescue mission. Based on what became known as the "Canadian Caper," Argo covers a small, but significant part of a larger story of deterioriation in US/Iranian relations in the early '80s.

Incredibly, their cover story for the escape attempt was that the American diplomats were location scouting for an upcoming Canadian sci-fi film called "Argo." To complete the cover story, the CIA set up a fake production company, enlisted the help of real Hollywood insiders and craftsmen, and managed to convince Iranian security officers that a group of US diplomats was really a film crew.

With stakes this high creating sustained tension is more important than ever. The first 10 minutes of Argo show us the storming of the embassy by angry student protestors. It is very intense, and emotionally charged. Unfortunately, Argo never reaches that same height of tension again, and that is its biggest failing.

Argo is Ben Affleck's third theatrical feature as a director and after the critical and commercial success of 2010's The Town, moving into the realm of perioid action-drama may seem odd, but it's not really that far of a stretch. The story is fantastic; its engaging, full of heart, humor, fascinating politics, and very real life or death stakes. The film, however, only really focuses on the job at hand, and summarily covers the necessities of characters and larger plotting. While it is certainly based on an exciting true story, this is not really a film about that. Like The Town, Argo is actually another heist movie. It relishes in the mechanics of pulling off this incredible "job," and neglects all other aspects of the story.

So even with that said, this film could still be tight and tensely drawn. Instead, it plays more for laughs with a lighter touch than the subject matter deserves. While its not quite a fit for the Oceans 11 series, it is not that far off. There are moments where the film may give us a bit more depth, but they are few and far between. Also maybe knowing the outcome of the story hurts its effectiveness.

Not to give Argo short shrift, the performances are solid throughout. Affleck effectively plays lead CIA operative Tony Mendez. His character is easily the most fleshed out in the film. He's belivable as a hard-pressed operative working to make the best out of a bad situation. Supporting roles are filled by strong character actors including the likes of Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, and John Goodman. The film certainly doens't suffer from lack of talent; you're just left wishing most of them had more to do.

There are moments that shine here, notably the scenes in Hollywood, and John Goodman's peformance as the truly affable John Chambers, a real Hollywood talent. He was the makeup master behind the Planet of the Apes films and the man who created Leonard Nimoy's pointy ears on the original Star Trek series. These touches are the most familiar and joyfully executed scenes in the movie. Glimpses of classic Hollywood, from Battlestar Galactica Cylon extras on a smoke break, to the broken Hollywood sign all inject some fun into the picture, but the contrast between this and the scenes in Iran is odd. For as fun as these touches are, they only further undercut what tension there is to be had in the rest of the movie.

Argo is adequately made for what its attempting, but it's not attempting to tackle the big story. Watching it is mostly an enjoyable experience, and only slightly frustrating at what's left unsaid. You just may find yourself wondering what this could have been if someone other than Affleck was behind Argo.

Finally, there's no way to ignore the contextual parallels seen in Iran today. Your interpretation of how much the world has changed, or hasn't, will fundamentally inform how you view this film. Argo strikes an incredibly topical chord, especially in light of the UK embassy in Tehran shutting down at the end of last year, and Canada deciding to sever ties with the country this very week. Argo fills in one small piece of the ongoing puzzle that is American/Iranian relations.

Argo certainly isn't a film to be dismissed, the interesting moments should be enough to pull you through, but a film like this, about this story, with this cast, really had the potential to be much more.

IGN Ratings
(out of 10, not an average)
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