Argo

2 more reviews

1. ›Argo - Netflix movie review@lizzyblue21559d

   Argo tells the story of a rather unconventional rescue operation carried out by a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency exfiltration specialist who goes by the name of Tony Mendez. It’s based off of real life events in 1979 when sixty staff of the US embassy in Tehran were taken hostage by Iranian Islamists. The total number of hostages was sixty six, but six of them had escaped unknown to the Islamists and it was around this number that the film revolved around. The reason for the hostage situation was the anger of the Islamists against the Us for granting the Shah asylum after all his crimes.

   

   source

   Produced by Grant Heslov, John Goodman and Ben Affleck who equally plays the main star, Tony Mendez, the US state department is running against time to carry out this rescue operation before the kids the Islamists had organized to figure out from the shred mug shots the US staff had left behind, piece the faces of the escaped together.

   Armed with three ideas/contingency plans on how the rescue operation should be performed, Ben Affleck’s idea appears to be the best 'bad idea' they could come up with and it involved flying to Iran and posing as a movie director for a sci- fi movie and rescuing the six members of staff who equally would pose in corresponding made up roles.

   This film has some famous actors like Tate Donavan and Scoot McNairy whose face I was happy to see. It already had the stamp of quality on it by nature of the cast, so I was not surprised to see the number of Golden Globe nominations it had gotten amongst others. It got so many ‘best’ in everything and I think it was well deserved.

   This is a thriller and it does not let down in keeping up with the suspense. At some point I could not take it anymore and had to google some spoilers just so I could watch less tensely. Even with the new information I’d gotten, I was still sucked into the very realistic environment Director Ben Affleck created with the fear and tension provoked by the nature of the events and the Islamists.

   It was a culturally eye opening experience for me, because I’d never heard of this story before. I loved how we were taken as viewers into the ‘behind the scenes’ of the logic behind choosing this option of posing as movie people. The US state department had to go to great lengths to collaborate with Hollywood people in order to lend credibility to this Argo film that would never get made. The plan was executed so well with the limited time constraints, it would have been remarkable if it had failed.

   Watching this film as a non-American, I’m again reminded at how this country goes to great lengths to rescue its people. In many countries, many people might wonder why go through the whole trouble of rescuing that small number of people, but in America, we get to see even if briefly in movies and in rare real life occasions like this, just how much a life is worth.

   I rate this movie a 10/10.

   P.s a little trivia.

   The real Tony Mendez was an artist and illustrator. That’s how he learnt to be so good at forging passports.

   He also has a son from his second wife who is a sculptor.

   As an artist myself, this knowledge was interesting to know.

   If you’ve watched this film, I’d like to know what you thought. Thanks for stopping by!

   ▲Upvote

   ReplyPermalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

   💬 Show comments
2. ›Argo@siirif1765d

   Argo is a gem. Even though many know the ending, it’s got some genuine edge of your seat moments, just-right details, excellent acting, and a screenplay that never insults the audience intelligence. Ben Affleck is the director and this time the critical praise is deserved.

   Argo is based on a true story. It’s about a daring rescue attempt of 6 people from Iran during the 1979/80 hostage crisis. Affleck stars as CIA operative Tony Mendez who hatches a truly far-fetched plan to attempt to rescue 6 American Embassy employees who slipped away from their would-be Iranian captors as they took over the American compound on November 4th, 1979 and managed to hide out in the Canadian Ambassador’s residence. There is only a very short window of time before the Iranian’s discover 6 people have eluded capture.

   [source](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/mDveEQSp2NOM4UQe4cY4NePwTL5.jpg)

   After 10 weeks, the best plan the CIA has come up with involves getting the Americans to bicycle hundreds of miles to the Turkish border. It can’t possibly succeed and Mendez (Affleck) realizes this and brainstorms an absolutely crazy idea that’s so out-there it might actually work. His idea involves creating false identities for the 6 Americans and pretending that they are planning to shoot a Star Wars knock-off film with Iranian locations called Argo. To help him, Mendez enlists some Hollywood insiders starting with an award winning make-up specialist, John Chambers (played brilliantly by John Goodman), the guy who got really famous in the 60s for inventing Star Trek’s Spock’s Vulcan ears. They recruit an almost retired producer Lester Siegel (perfectly played by Alan Arkin) and create a Hollywood buzz for the movie that doesn’t actually exist.

   [source](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/09/arg-tp-023-bbf3652cfaf2d2761fd5c06329bc6e46405d20b4.jpg)

   We watch as the utterly improbably absurd plan starts to come together and then nearly unravels as the U.S. government has second thoughts AFTER the plan has already begun. Bryan Cranston as Mendez’s boss and Victor Garber as the Canadian Ambassador are also perfectly cast and stand-out.

   What I also noticed is how nearly perfect all the details were. We are in 1979 with the hair-styles, clothes, props and even the way people speak reflecting the era. The integration of archive news footage, and recreated locations is seamless. The film has the look of a medium budget mid-70s film, which helps everything blend together visually. It also isn’t edited like a brand new movie with lots of quick cuts and splashy hyperactivity, but rather has a quieter, sort of laid-back pace to it, that builds to a knuckle-biting climax.

   [source](https://images.moviesanywhere.com/dd5022b855020dfb2a5e20ef29a0fe52/8ff075ab-49d0-4884-ac33-bc6a8ee2ab97.jpg?w=2560&r=16x9)

   There’s plenty of humor, but it’s never forced and often character based. This might disappoint some who because of the trailers might be expecting a movie that’s looser and wilder. Remember this is based on a true story, and it’s set up as a thriller more than an action-comedy.

   Affleck as an actor underplays and some may see him a bit bland in the role—but it’s the right choice he’s made. The real life Mendez was a master of disguise—and although none of that is part of this film, it’s important that Mendez is a quiet, trustworthy sort of person that doesn’t call too much attention to himself or we wouldn’t believe what we are seeing—even knowing it’s mostly true. He has stay to calm, even when serious problems develop. Affleck’s quieter performance also gives the supporting actors more contrast.

   [source](https://www.looper.com/img/gallery/the-ending-of-argo-explained/intro-1616692492.jpg)

   Argo was both better and a little different than I was expecting. It’s a tight, well-paced thriller with a wild but true premise allowing moments of believable humor. The acting, particularly from Arkin and Goodman and the supporting players is top-notch.

   ▲Upvote

   ReplyPermalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

   💬 Show comments