Monday, October 22, 2012

Monday Matinee: Argo (2012)

It has been awhile since I've seen a movie at the theater.  It seems like the only chance we have is when the kids have a day off from school.  This past Friday, my son and I decided we needed to go see this film.  It has been getting serious Oscar buzz and has a crazy-high score on Rotten Tomatoes of 95% (for both viewers and critics).  My mom had seen it and said it was a fascinating movie about a piece of history none of us really knew anything about.

Indeed it is.  Back in 1979, a group of enraged Iranian revolutionaries stormed the US Embassy in Iran in retaliation for the US's support and harboring of the overthrown Shah.  They took most of the embassy staff as hostages (that were ultimately held captive for somewhere over 400 days), but six employees escaped out the back door and took refuge at the Canadian Embassy, hiding in a cellar whenever they feared detection.

CIA Specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck, who looked nothing like the real-life Latino, but I guess those are the perks if you are the director) is called upon to figure out a way to get these six people out.  Through some of his connections in Hollywood (John Goodman and Alan Arkin), he creates a fake movie, with a script, a press release and all the trimmings, to support the ruse of a group of Canadian studio execs scouting out exotic filming locations in Iran.  Biographies are invented for the six Embassy employees, from camera operator to costume designer.  With Mendez in the lead, they are to pretend to traipse around Tehran (where spies hang from construction machinery in the streets), looking for places to shoot their movie.  The risk is real and terrifying, the consequences of discovery being a very public death.  After they have convinced the Iranian government they are studio execs, their plan is to hop on a plane and get the hell out.

The story would certainly fall in the category of "you can't make this shit up".  I was fascinated and thoroughly tickled by the lengths at which Goodman and Arkin's characters go to make a really bad Star Wars rip-off seem legitimate.  They took the challenge like a couple of geeky teenagers.  Seasoned, snarky geeky teenagers.    



I can't tell you that they have captured all the facts as they happened.  Who even knew about this?  The mission was only declassified during the Clinton era.  But based on what I've read, the basic elements were true.  I did smell a strong acrid whiff of overcooked melodrama at the end.  I sincerely doubt the Iranian officials were chasing the airplane, containing the six Embassy employees and Mendez, in their jeeps down the runway, attempting to shoot out the tires.  I'm sure Hollywood believes it must deliver some shooting and chasing to satisfy the masses.  Beyond this little display of schmaltz, the movie did hold my interest and maintained a tense little knot in my stomach for the duration.  You pretty much know things are going to work out, but Iran is a scary place and I was scared.

The movie is rated R for a few f-bombs and some stark images of people being hung in the streets.  However, I felt it was fairly safe stuff for my 13 year-old, and in fact would tell you that this is the kind of story that fires up his mind.  It was a great slice of history that, based on recent event, has seemed to morph and repeat itself.

4 out of 5 stars 

   

14 comments:

bermudaonion said...

The trailers of this make it seem like an action flick so I dismissed it. The reviews I've been reading make me think I should go see it. I've heard it's somewhat accurate.

annieb said...

I was aware of the six Americans being taken out of Iran by the Canadians at the time, but no one knew of the CIA involvement. It was a great moment in a terrible time. There is a book the movie is based on. I just checked it out of the library, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Should be interesting.

Anonymous said...

This is currently playing at our little one screen theater. When I read the description to HB last weekend (yes, our little theater keeps movies for 2-3 weeks), the look on his face told me I wouldn't be seeing this any time soon.

Natalie~Coffee and a Book Chick said...

This is completely on my list of movies I have to see. I love the look of it, the story behind it, and I've become quite a fan of Affleck's films that he's directed and/or produced. Looking forward to it!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

I've been curious about this one. It's amazing to me that these things can happen and no one knows about it for decades.

Zibilee said...

I have heard about this movie, and was actually really excited about seeing it. Then for some reason, it fell off the radar. Now it's back up there again, and I think I will watch it this weekend with Frank. He would love this one.

Alyce said...

That does seem too strange to be based on fact! I've been out of the loop when it comes to new movies, so I hadn't heard of this one.

Jenners said...

I was excited to see your review of this. It has been getting such good reviews and it sounds fascinating -- all the more so for being true. I think Ben Affleck is really coming into his own as a director.

Steph said...

You have me even more excited about seeing this movie. Terrific review! And I love what you said about the "You can't make this shit up" category. So true.

Heidenkind said...

I LOVE the concept of this movie. Really want to see it!

Beth F said...

This will be a wait until HBO or Netflix for us. But I've been curious about this.

Fay said...

We usually wait for the dvd, but the reviews of this have been strong. Think it might be worth going to the theater for once.

Julie P. said...

I never go see movies, but this is definitely one that I want to see sooner rather than later.

Jenny said...

I loved this movie!! I thought it was hilarious at the end when they showed the pictures of everyone in real life and I realized that Ben Affleck was playing a hispanic guy.. I mean I should have known by the name, but it didn't hit me until I saw the picture at the end. I feel like I've always known about the Iran hostage thing, but I think it's because my dad was in the air force at the time and had been chosen to attend that trip (!!) but ended up not "getting" to go.