Argo: Fiction Presented Better than Truth
The movie “Argo” is about what happened during the Iran hostage crisis during the 1979 Iranian revolution. The CIA and Hollywood collaborated in an undercover operation to rescue six American embassy staff members. The movie is based on a book by Tony Mendez- an ex-CIA officer; and an article
from the NY Times, but the real incidence lacked any drama. What turns the movie into a memorable entertainer is how the director and screenwriter recognized this and remedied it by infusing enough humour and believable story turns to bring to us an entertaining albeit fictitious escape film.
In the movie, director Ben Affleck portrays the tension between the U.S and Iran by using emotions and faith which grips people when it happened and still lingers on the American psyche. Using some stock footage and staged scenes, the director establishes the background of political turmoil and the role of the USA in it which turned Iran hostile towards the USA in the title sequence. With the setting done right, the film becomes a thrilling, tense and captivating ride — despite the fact that we inevitably are aware of the
ending. This is Ben Affleck’s third venture as a director and second time being his own actor. The steller cast let by him includes Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Richard Kind, Philip Baker Hall, and Bryan Carston.
As an actor, Ben Affleck’s mediocre performance is foiled by superb acting by the supporting cast. Affleck leaves the minute reactions which enhance the film to be done by greats like Arkin, Goodman, and Cranston, in supporting roles. His deadpan persona works here in his favour to pull off the role of the
CIA infiltrator. As a director also, the potboiler screenplay developed by Chris Terrio saves the film. For dramatic effect, writer Chris Terrio adds situations which elevate the drama of the film. So does the breakneck pace of
filming and editing of a scene, superbly witty dialogues, a setting charged with an invisible antagonist of a particular religion, aptly recreated production designs, and an unreal but nail-biting climax.
The singularity of an American white male point of view used throughout shows every Iranian as either a hate-filled puppet or as a silent and dumb spectator. None of the American characters seemed to even try to understand what is happening around them in Iran, and although it is fun to watch, it is not a true account of what happened.
The part that elevates the film is the subplot of setting up mock film production. This smartly written section is mildly sarcastic and gently mocks the inner workings of Hollywood. It also shows the audience the parallels of faking a film production and a CIA mission. With this one part, this taut thriller partially becomes a satire about film making itself.
So Argo has some good points from supporting cast’s acting skills, cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto (Brokeback Mountain), meticulously done production design and smart choices in sound and editing which work for it. Watch it as a well-crafted James Hadley Chase book adopted on-screen.
Written By: Sushant Bhagwat
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