"I think my story's the only thing between you and a gun to your head."
When the American embassy in Iran is overrun, only 6 employees escape the building. They seek asylum in the home of the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor (Garber). Back in the USA, the CIA tries to find a way to rescue the 6: Bob Anders (Donovan), Joe (McNairy) & Kathy (Bishe) Stafford, Mark (Denham) & Cora (DuVall) Lijek, and Lee Schatz (Cochrane). As they come up with a solution, the Iranian's release a video with conditions for the release of the hostages.
They have a series of bad ideas, including having the 6 pose as teachers or ride bikes across the border. Agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) has a better "bad idea": make them a film crew. He will fly into Iran, with passports and other documents for the 6, and fly back to the states with them. His boss, Jack O'Donnell (Cranston), agrees and Tony heads to Hollywood to make the plan a reality. To make the plan a reality, he travels to Hollywood to create a fake production company and start buzz for their fake film "Argo." He is aided by makeup artist John Chambers (Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Arkin). Can they create a believable story to get the Americans back home?
Prior to this film, Ben Affleck had already proved his talent as a director. His first film, Gone Baby Gone, garnered an Oscar nomination for Amy Ryan. His follow-up, The Town, scored an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Renner. Both films were well received by critics, and did well in the box office. So expectations were high for his third film.
The story is based on the "Canadian Caper," which was a classified CIA operation. The screenplay, which one the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, is based on Tony Mendez's "The Master of Disguise" and Joshuah Bearman's "The Great Escape." The filmmakers take a few liberties with the story, changing details to add to the suspense and to condense the time frame. After the film there are notes on the screen with more information about the actual events.
The film grips you from the beginning and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The final scenes are gripping and offer a satisfying ending. And it won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2013, despite a directing snub for Affleck. The cast is strong and delivers solid performances. Alan Arkin is a standout as Lester, and received an Oscar nomination for the role. Affleck is good in the lead role, although it is easier to focus on the performances of his co-stars.
I look forward to seeing more films from Affleck... and am intrigued to see what he will do next!
Argo (2012) 120 minutes
Rated: R for language and some violent images
Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez
Bryan Cranston as Jack O'Donnell
Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel
John Goodman as John Chambers
Victor Garber as Ken Taylor
Tate Donovan as Bob Anders
Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek
Scoot McNairy as Joe Stafford
Rory Cochrane as Lee Schatz
Christopher Denham as Mark Lijek
Kerry Bishe as Kathy Stafford
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