Review: Argo

Review: Argo

Ben Affleck leaves his comfort zone of 'The Town' to direct an astonishing true story set during the height of American-Iranian tension in the early 80's. 

Part comedy, part tense drama, Argo tells the tale of six American US Embassy employees in hiding in Iran after the building is overrun by hostile Iranian revolutionaries. Taking refuge in the Canadian ambassador's house, their only hope for escape from a country declaring "death to Americans" is CIA exfiltrator Tony Mendez (Affleck). His plan? To fly into Iran with fake IDs and convince the country that the six Americans are actually part of a Canadian film crew scouting locations for Argo, a Star Wars inspired space movie. Then comes the hard part: getting them out.

The scheme is initially ridiculed, however it soon becomes clear that this is the only viable option which could avoid international catastrophe. Before long, Mendez and his team are duping Hollywood, even hiring directors, actors and screenwriters in order to convince both America and Iran that Argo is a real movie currently going through pre-production.

For all the hype that this is a "tense, gripping, edge of your seat drama," Argo disappoints on most fronts. However, as an almost satirical look at the movie industry and an accurate documentation of a declassified CIA operation, Ben Affleck's latest is a stellar hit. His true success is combining multiple story strands into one easily conceivable movie. In Washington, Affleck executes his camerawork with modern flair, yet the scenes in Iran have a grainy, atmospheric feel reflecting the horrific sense of oppression in the country. The actor/director also shows a knack for creating palm-sweating tension, however the vast majority of it is a little weak as we are consistently in no doubt that the Americans will make it out alive.

In Hollywood, however, the movie becomes a slick sattire of the film industry. John Goodman's special effects genius and Alan Arkin's tough as nails producer bounce brilliantly off each other, as Goodman proclaims of his make believe production "The target audience are gonna hate it. And by target audience I mean anyone with eyes." Bryan Cranston is also a welcome addition to the cast as Jack O'Donnell, Mendez's CIA colleague directing the mission.

Argo does have its faults though. Scenes involving Affleck's sci-fi loving son seem to be wedged in simply to add some unnecessary emotional weight behind his character; weight which drops very quickly as the boy is never in any danger and is barely seen again. Add to that a severe lack of character development regarding the six Embassy employees and, with the exception of Affleck and his CIA cohorts, Argo is left with very unrelateable, unlikable protagonists. 

Summary

Argo is yet another triumph for Ben Affleck, the performer who faced critical hostility after some very subpar acting roles. However, combining laughs and thrills with plenty of exciting verve, Affleck continues his very smart directing career with a gripping, often satirical drama. It's not flawless, as shown by some overly scripted unnecessary characters who steal time from the characters we are really supposed to care about. That said, Argo is a very exciting development for Affleck and certainly one of the best dramas 2012 has to offer.

8/10 - Great

See it if you liked: The Town (2010), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), Inside Man (2006)