ARGO (2012)

I think I always accidentally confused Argo with Fargo and avoided it as a result, due to the adoration so many punk bros I knew had for the latter. I wish I had not waited so long. This film was excellent, and the kind you like to go through later and match up against the historical record – which we did. It was interesting to me that Canadian critics felt the film did not do enough to truly celebrate the pivotal role Canada played in freeing the hostages.

Ben Affleck is pitch perfect as Central Intelligence Agency Operative Tony Mendez, and also directed the film. I imagine of all the stories in the CIA’s history, this one stands out as one of the most breathtaking. It chronicles how the CIA used a fake sci-fi movie as a ruse to rescue hostages from Tehran during the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis, in which six diplomats were successfully freed. The film was made in 2012, and was met with tremendous critical acclaim.

Even accounting for the inevitable dramatic liberties taken, this is a real stranger-than-fiction tale of a seemingly inane plan to extract six members of the American embassy staff from Tehran. Great movie, even if it did feel like a two hour anxiety episode. I didn’t realize until watching that Ben Affleck directed and produced. I’m so used to seeing him in supermarket tabloids, that it’s easy to forget that he’s a talented guy. 

The oppressive tension of the movie is broken up by Alan Arkin as a Hollywood producer and John Goodman (as the accomplished makeup artist John Chambers) who team up to form a bogus film production company to provide cover for the operation. 

Every few movies we watch, there is something that resonates with what’s going on in the real world. The opening scene of Argo is the well-known takeover of the American embassy. It was unsettling  to watch; it was filmed effectively and knowing it was a real event gave it additional weight. Something else was getting under my skin, though. It took me a while to realize what it was, until I realized we watched this not long after the attempted insurrection at the United States Capital. The dramatized scenes of Tehran in 1979 directly echoed the images from Washington DC in January 2021. 

And while we’re talking politics, perhaps we would be remiss not to mention that the story of Argo takes place within a larger historical context of Iranian-American relations – a story in which, if all told, the American intelligence community may not appear so unfailingly gallant. This larger narrative runs in the background of Argo, which instead focuses on the people who are desperately trying to get home without being put in front of a firing squad. 

That’s a good point. We look at this film through the lens of the Americans as being absolute innocents, and we don’t really get a true sense of the work they were doing there. I did wonder how true to form the John Goodman character was; I looked up a little more about that person after the movie was over. Ben Affleck was exceptional in this film, and I think he also did a good job directing it. I will say this is not a good film to watch if you are feeling remotely anxious or worried about other things – I could barely breathe and was on the edge of my seat for most of it. I don’t exactly understand why the film inaccurately showed the Americans being turned away at the British and New Zealand embassies, though. The exaggeration of danger I get – that has dramatic effect. But why exaggerate the embassies turning them down? And why not give Canada a little more of the credit due? I wonder if anyone has ever asked Affleck about these choices. 

It does seem like there was enough criticism of the film’s portrayal of the Canadians that Affleck actually changed the text at the movie’s end. In fact, Affleck had the real Ken and Pat Taylor flown to Hollywood to attend a private screening of the (amended) movie. 

I really liked this movie, even if it is an uncritical puff piece for American espionage. Who knew Ben Affleck had it in him. He’s so much more than just half of Bennifer after all. Let’s watch Gigli next.

I am not sure what that is exactly, but I would be happy to watch it with you! Is it just more or is Ben Affleck always in the same mood in every movie? Everything is always SO SERIOUS with him. I mean, in a movie like this I guess of course things are serious, but no matter what the plot point that seems to always be his vibe. I would love to see him step into a different kind of character or emotional state sometime. I do think he is a good actor, but I don’t think he has displayed much range. 

At the time of this writing, celebrity gossip magazines are reporting that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have been spending time together again. 

Bennifer is back on, people. 

Also released in 2012:
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Silver Linings Playbook 
Zero Dark Thirty

Next film: GREEN BOOK (2018)