If you were born after the 1980s, you are probably not familiar with the Iran Hostage Crisis, which happened in 1979. Fifty-two Americans were held for 444 days from Nov. 4, 1979, to Jan. 20, 1981. Ben Affleck’s newly released movie “Argo” was based on this historical event.
Viewers, especially movie critics and judges at movie festivals, are very pleased by film accounts of the true stories. The Academy Awards seem to have a thing for “authenticity.” “Moneyball,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Milk,” “Juno.” I can make a list of Oscar nominated movies adapted from true stories, and I assure you, “Argo” will be one of them, too.
According to Roger Ebert, “Argo” will probably win the Academy Award for Best Picture since it was “the audience favorite coming out of the top-loaded opening weekend of the Toronto Film Festival.” Surely it is not a reliable way of predicting the Oscar. However, “Argo” does have some qualities for an Oscar winner; great plot adapted from a true story, nice make-up and good tempo.
“Argo” tells a story of how Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA agent, managed to rescue six American diplomats from the Canadian Embassy in Iran. The plan is incredibly creative. Mendez pretends to be a film producer searching for a screen setting for a new science fiction movie “Argo” with six other people in his crew. The six diplomats are assigned by Mendez to different names, occupations and backgrounds. They act as professionals in the movie industry. Before going to Iran, Mendez does all the preparation in Hollywood with the help with a famous producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin). He chooses the script, contacts producers and uses the press to spread the news.
The movie gets extremely intense when Mendez and the six diplomats arrive at the airport in Iran. I was literally holding my breath every minute worrying that these people might get caught and shot the next second. And thanks to the fact that this movie was made from a true story, knowing that they will be home safely makes me less nervous during my time in the theater.
Political thriller, though this movie is, it is not as boring or serious as you might expect. Ben Affleck shows not only his talent in acting but also directing. He has successfully implanted humor into this political thriller. Alan Arkin, the Academy winning actor, plays a seasoned Hollywood producer, with lines making fun of Universal Studio as well as Hollywood itself. With a great storyline, interesting fashion style presented by those diplomats and quick-witted jokes, “Argo” is without doubt a fascinating and amusing movie to watch.
Hollywood saves the world, as some people say. The fake sci-fi movie fools the military in Iran. We have many ways of memorizing history, making movies is one of them. “Argo” finally becomes a real movie although it was shot with a totally different script. There are many more heroes who serve our country that still remain unknown to the public. There are more stories to be told and more names to be memorized and honored. Hats off to Tony Mendez and to those who have contributed to our country!
