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 Released
at the height of election season and centered around the Iran hostage crisis,
“Argo” would appear to be a political film; however, it is a restrained, mostly
apolitical film that simply stumps for quiet heroism, duty, and honor in a world
that’s grown increasingly entangled in bureaucratic red tape and political
maneuvering.
Set mostly in 1980 during the height of the crisis, “Argo” spins a yarn so
incredible that you wouldn’t believe it had Hollywood cooked it up--so of
course, Hollywood did help cook it up. While the bulk of the crisis involved
those captured at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, six Americans managed to escape
and hole up in the Canadian ambassador’s home. CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck)
specializes in concocting elaborate escapes for such situations, so he devises a
scheme that will turn the six escapees into a Canadian film crew who are in Iran
under the guise of location scouting. Working with Hollywood producer Lester
Siegel (Alan Arkin) and makeup artist Jack Chambers (John Goodman), Mendez
rushes “Argo” into production, a false film with very real stakes.
It’s been said that Ben Affleck’s first two directorial efforts have put him in
the Sidney Lumet business, and it seems as though he’s embraced that here; not
only does “Argo” feature a reference to “Network,” but it's cut from the same
cloth as some of the legendary director’s work. Stylistically, it’s tossed on
some gritty, vintage 70s clothes that even still bear an outmoded Warner
Brothers logo, but the mimicry is effortless and unaffected. The film goes
beyond mere dress-up, too, as Affleck injects the soul of Sidney Lumet’s best
work into “Argo,” a film that bustles with energy, drama, and, most importantly,
humanity.
“Argo” often feels like a human interest story writ large, but, then again so
did “Dog Day Afternoon,” another unbelievable true story made believable by a
director who could peer behind the incredulity and capture the raw humanity
underpinning it all. Affleck accomplishes the same with an unassuming ease;
though his ensemble is enormous, there’s a genuine quality to each character.
“Lived in” doesn’t sufficiently describe the film--it’s more seamless and
authentic than that, especially since “Argo” looks like it could have been made
three years after these events rather than three decades.
Despite several noteworthy performances (especially from Arkin and Goodman--go
figure, the two Hollywood personalities ring loudest), no one’s attempting to
gnaw the film away here, so we’re simply watching human beings rather than a
series of acting displays for our consideration. At the center of this is
Affleck, not only as Mendez--who he realizes with a powerfully reserved,
dignified performance--but also as director, as he guides “Argo” with a steady
hand and masterfully avoids all of the tone and narrative potholes that could
beset a film like this.
This is no small task, either, because “Argo” could have been a sloggy mess; it
bounces between different modes and tones throughout, and Affleck finds a
perfect balance of levity, suspense, and historical context. His deft ability to
mix is apparent from the outset, when viewers are caught up to speed on
America’s involvement in Iran that set the stage for the hostage crisis. Not
content to deliver a stodgy, textbook recitation, Affleck uses comic book panels
and archive footage, an approach that’s crisp, concise, and just plain cool.
And “Argo” just gets cooler, smarter, and more thrilling as it zips along; for
all of its high stakes, it’s a remarkably breezy affair because it’s stripped of
all pretension. While the film never makes light of the situation--it’s far too
suspenseful to do that--it does carry a certain lightness that allows it to work
at its most primal level as an entertaining thriller. The first hour bounces
between the severity of Iran and the unreality of Hollywood, and the two
seemingly irreconcilable scenes and the extraordinary story that connects them
coalesce into a thrilling, white-knuckle climax that precisely cuts between
multiple scenes; it’s here that “Argo” reveals itself to be pure cinema--it’s a
wildly compelling story that’s delivered with a thunderous sense of
entertainment. It’s a fine reminder of the days when films could be thrilling
thanks to inherent, character and story driven drama rather than overcooked
spectacle--by the end of the film, one feels like Affleck has even aped
Hitchcock or Frankenheimer.
But “Argo” is more than just a rousing crowd-pleaser in its clever intertwining
of the two scenes. Since there are so many self-inflicted potshots, it’s not a
self-aggrandizing pat on the back for Hollywood, but it literalizes film as
escapism, a notion that constantly refracts back on itself as you consider the
scenario. Here you have the movie industry hatching an escape plan as audiences
indulge in a movie that grows progressively diverting and less burdened by its
political mechanizations. The film might be briefly caught up in its political
scene, particularly when it’s capturing its ground level rawness in the form of
the chaotic, flag-burning riots in Tehran and the hardboiled Washington
bureaucratic machine that attempts to grind Mendez’s plot from its inception.
However, once the final act truly takes hold, these particulars begin to melt
away as the great escape itself takes precedence; this is just another old
Hollywood staple, here repurposed as an impossibly enjoyable thriller that
thrives on primeval storytelling themes that enable it to transcend its
specific, historical milieu. “Argo” is certainly the triumph of these unspoken
heroes--one might say that Tony Mendez is the sort of real-world analogue to
James Bond and other spy movie figures--but it makes me ponder just how many
other heroes and exploits are hiding behind blacked out lines in confidential
files. Values like cooperation, loyalty, and duty still exist here, as they
always have, and Affleck wisely lionizes them without overwrought
sentimentality.
That an actual film has finally told the story that hinged upon a false one
seems appropriate, and it’s perhaps even more appropriate that “Argo” takes the
form of the fictional “Argo.” It’s obviously not a science fiction film, but it
subtly mirrors the plot of its fake film, which revolves around revolutionaries
fighting to liberate themselves from oppressive overlords, a universal motif
that eventually (and obviously) wins over the Iranian arts commission and other
natives who would otherwise prevent Mendez and his escapees from leaving the
country. Chris Terrio’s screenplay even alters the historical details to have
Mendez’s plan be inspired by “Battle of the Planet of the Apes,” a film that
revolves around similar themes.
Science fiction and fantasy help to save the day, and, if the film does heartily
romanticize any scene, it’s that one. Affleck lovingly gazes back through the
pessimism and cynicism of the age to reveal the excitement these genres
generated even as Hollywood had begun to recycle them after “Star Wars”
revolutionized the industry. In an era where nerd culture has been recycled to
the point of exhaustion--the nerds have had their revenge and then had it sold
back to them--“Argo” provides a genuine, subtle tribute to it. There’s a scene
where Mendez and his Hollywood pals stage a false casting call, but it looks
more like a cosplay convention as aliens (one of them is even genre movie queen
Adrienne Barbeau!) and other creatures prowl around a hotel lobby. Even Jack
Kirby’s contributions don’t go unnoticed, as he briefly pops up (played by
Michael Parks) to provide the storyboards for the fictional “Argo.”
The notion that such a then-marginalized culture could have world-changing
impact is wonderful and cuts right to the heart of what “Argo” is truly about.
Affleck doesn’t wave the flag for America, preferring instead to stay
clear-headed about the country’s complicity in creating the mess in Iran;
instead, the incredible tale presented by “Argo” should appeal across borders
and cultures.
Of course, calling it completely apolitical or ignoring its current relevance is
unfair. After all, its timeliness with the escalating situation in Iran makes it
difficult to ignore the various seeds of dissent that have been planted in that
region. “Argo” presents one such seed, and the current turmoil is like the cloud
of irony that hovers above it: for all the film's triumph and hope, those seeds
still haven't fully blossomed into an Arab Spring in the thirty years since.
Instead, it seems as though it’s stuck in a perpetual winter of discontent
despite our--and Affleck’s--best efforts to put come cinematic distance between
us and its turmoil.
That’s not a knock against it, though--after all, I don’t think “Argo” aims for
full escapism; rather, it aims to revel not only in the magic of making the
impossible plausible on the screen, but also in reminding us just how very real
and relevant it is. Impeccably crafted and humbly performed by a cast of pros,
“Argo” is Affleck’s most accomplished work to date--it dazzles with its natural
intrigue, but it impacts thanks to its director’s natural storytelling abilities
that were gleaned from the old masters--and it's evident in every frame. Argo is
one of the years best films.
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