Riveting Argo

Angry shouts of the demonstrators reverberated inside the US embassy walls while the terrified civilians and embassy officials huddled inside.  The thunderous clamor to bring back the Americans’ harbored fugitive is nonstop. Finally, the irate crowd pushes through the gates, rushing inside the embassy grounds, clambering up the walls and striking at the door.

These are the unnerving opening scenes of Argo. The same scenes Ben Affleck wants you to see and feel, the same ones people inside the US Embassy of Iran must have felt like on that day in 1979. Enough  to make you want to shout “Get out now!” inside the darkened cinema but you can’t. Then finally like someone reads your thought, some of them gets outside through a secret door and hurry to the streets to an unknown fate.  And their ordeal from Iran to their daring escape is what Argo is all about.

I have watched the first two films of Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone and The Town. Both films  were good, disturbing, making you ponder. Like Argo did. Though, I didn’t appreciate his cliché of an opening, Affleck’s character waking up in a messy motel room because it reminded me of numerous tortured hero Bruce Willis characters woke up to,  I got past it as Argo progressed. There was more to the film than a brooding CIA man.

There was the hilarious script concocted just for this escape plan peppered with the presence of a sharp-tongued producer who made the movie believable plus the calm demeanor of the white-haired Canadian ambassador played by Victor Garber who is not CIA in this film. Yes, he is no Jack Bristow here J Then we also have the grim-faced men of the CIA and the State Department who you’re tempted to tell off and of course, the realistic portrayal of the talented Middle Eastern actors who I swear made me believe I was watching true scenes in Iran.

The location, the costumes in the movie were commendable. The attention to detail to recreate the 70s and the disturbing scenes on the streets was noteworthy. The backstory of the Shah of Iran at the beginning of the film was also placed well so you know why the Iranians are so damn mad and banging at the gates. The old news clips with US TV anchors in their younger years also brought authenticity in the film making you feel like you were really living in the 70s. Moreover, the grandness of that building in Turkey where Affleck’s character met another intelligence man was also memorable. What a landmark.

Overall, Argo was about the “best bad idea” the CIA had that time, a proof that sometimes what is the most bizarre and outrageous idea can be the most effective. Thinking out of the box in this case helped a lot.  Rounding up this ludicrous plan is the cooperation of Hollywood with the CIA and the generosity of the Canadians, all factors that helped save the life of the embassy people. Moreover, the guts of Mendez, Affleck’s character has also been critical, making the escape possible. His bravery was steadfast and astounding given the dangerous circumstance they were in.

This film has indeed cemented Affleck’s shift to directing. Given Argo’s box-office and critical success, I’m sure we will see more of his films. I’m just amazed how he can direct a film like he’s been at it for ages, his films remind me of those made by Clint Eastwood, crafted with a subtle edge and seared with throbbing dilemmas. And in Argo, he combined it with a riveting tempo, taking you to a heart-thumping ride, pulling your insides in a knot then, and then finally letting you sigh in relief after his characters made it through. Whew! J