Benjamin’s Stash
Iran: Hollywood’s newest scene.
Cast of Characters:
Tony Mendez – Ben Affleck
Jack O’Donnell – Bryan Cranston
Lester Siegel – Alan Arkin
John Chambers – John Goodman
Robert Anders – Tate Donovan
Cora Lijek – Clea DuVall
Mark Lijek – Christopher Denham
Joe Stafford – Scoot McNairy
Kathy Stafford – Kerry Bishe
Lee Schatz – Rory Cochrane
Ken Taylor – Victor Garber
Hamilton Jordan – Kyle Chandler
Director – Ben Affleck
Writer – Chris Terrio
Based on the book Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez & the article “The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran” by Joshuah Bearman
Producer – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck & George Clooney
Distributor – Warner Bros. Pictures
Running Time – 120 minutes
Rated R for language and some violent images.
On November 4, 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was stormed by Iranian activists in retaliation over President Carter granting the Shah asylum in the U.S. during the Iranian Revolution. Fifty of the embassy staff were taken hostage, but six have managed to avoid capture and found refuge in the home of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber).
Back home, the U.S. State Department begins debating options for exfiltrating them from Iran. CIA Specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is brought in to consult on the plan, but neither he nor those in the State Department are able to come up with anything effective. That is until Mendez catches Battle for the Planet of the Apes on TV, and that’s when the light bulb in his head pops on and a course of action in rescuing the Americans is set. Posing as a producer for the Star Wars-esque sci-fi/adventure Argo, Mendez will attempt to rescue the Americans by passing them off as part of the film crew.
It’s risky and absurd, and the escapees are reluctant to put any trust whatsoever in Mendez’s scheme, but it just might be the only hope they have in escaping.
If Ben Affleck’s first two films, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, were somehow not enough to convince moviegoers he’s the real deal as a filmmaker, then Argo would be the one to finally sway their minds.
Unless you’re talking about Oscar nominations for Best Director.
And a big Ar-go fuck yourself there.
Everyone knows about the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981, an attack that stunned the United States and would strongly affect relations between America and Iran to this very day. Over the course of the 444-day crisis, the country would stumble its way through failed negotiations and military operations, but one of the riskiest and unconventional rescue missions would turn out to be one of the most successful. Led by CIA exfiltration expert Tony Mendez, the covert mission, referred to back then as the “Canadian Caper”, involved an elaborate production backstory for the faux-film Argo and detailed identities for the six Americans to assume during the escape.
While Affleck does stage a thrilling recreation of Iran’s takeover of the U.S. Embassy, the focus, as the title obviously suggests, is not on the entire situation, but Mendez’s operation. Over the course of the mission, Affleck and writer Chris Terrio bounce back and forth between three connecting stories: Mendez and the six Americans in Iran; the monitoring of said mission from CIA headquarters; and levity breaks from John Chambers and Lester Siegel, the Hollywood duo backing Mendez’s covert project. Even with the latter serving as comic relief amid the far-from-funny scenario Mendez and the CIA are dealing with, Affleck never once loses his grip on the film’s tone and deftly forms a strong cohesive bond between the three storylines. And though it might seem to some viewers that Chambers and Siegel appear to be in an entirely different movie, they do serve a valuable purpose to the central conflict.
As is par for the course with most historical/biographical movies, a few liberties are taken to ratchet the drama and tension up a few notches. Not that the crisis wasn’t tense enough to begin with; in fact, if not for one of the Canadian embassy officers spotting a mistake with the visa dates not matching the Iranian calendar, the plan could’ve backfired hard. That said, the plan in real-life wasn’t exactly executed in “nail-biter at the last minute” fashion as the third-act leads you to believe.
Such liberties taken are certainly a Hollywood standard, but those applied here are by no means a detriment to the film. Far from it. Right from the get-go, Affleck has us on the edge of our seats throughout Argo’s tautly-paced, sharply-edited 2-hour run time, and not through any sort of cheap tricks either. The suspense comes not from any explosive theatrics or mind-blowing action sequences, but from the constant feeling of dread that looms over these six Americans’ heads. Can they trust Mendez? Is his preposterous plan strong enough to work? If not, what happens if they’re caught? Those that know the true story know what’s at stake for these individuals. Every step taken matters, no matter how trivial or minute the detail may seem. One wrong move, one misspeak, one slip up during an interrogation and it’s game over. Even when we already know the final outcome, the tension Affleck is still able to generate out of those life and death questions is absolutely palpable.
Most impressive is Affleck’s attention to detail. Be it the strong sense of Bostonian community in Gone Baby Gone and The Town, the slick, frenetic Roaring ’20s energy in Live by Night, the retro “I love the ’80s” vibe of Air or the ’70s grittiness here, Affleck’s attention to period and location detail is absolutely incredible. Argo is certainly one of his most ambitious efforts and he goes to great lengths in recreating an authentic look of the time period (location work in Istanbul, Turkey served as the stand-in for 1980’s Tehran). The picture is intentionally grainy, mimicking the classic espionage thrillers of the ’70s, and archival footage of President Carter, Ayatollah Khomeini and old news footage of Ted Koppel, Mike Wallace and Walter Kronkite are seamlessly woven into the story. Even little touches like opening the film with the old Warner Bros. logo add to the film’s incredible authenticity.
Though Affleck has proven himself to be a better filmmaker than actor, his acting chops shouldn’t be overlooked. His prior effort, The Town, proved he could also star in the lead role as well as direct without it coming off like a giant self-pat on the back. And let’s not forget his fantastic, Oscar-worthy supporting turn as OG Superman George Reeves in 2006’s criminally underrated Hollywoodland. Here, hidden under a ’70s mop-top and beard, Affleck gives one of the finest performances of his career. 15-20 years ago, during his career “Dark Ages”, seeing him in this role might’ve elicited snickers and eye rolls. Who are we kidding, might’ve? No, however fair or unfair, it would’ve, but Affleck nails it here, portraying Mendez with a restraint that perfectly sells his character’s intelligence and ability to be in control of an extremely difficult, anxiety-riddled situation.
Outside of Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Oscar winner Alan Arkin – all terrific – most of the key supporting roles are filled by low-key, albeit recognizable, names. Dependable character actors like Victor Garber as Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor and the six Americans played by Tate Donovan, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishe, Clea DuVall, Christopher Denham and Rory Cochrane all create fleshed-out, humanized portrayals that provide compelling support opposite Affleck.
It too should be noted that with Affleck and Cochrane together, Argo also serves as the closest thing to a Dazed and Confused reunion that we may get.
Tense, exhilarating and, at times, much funnier than you’d expect, Argo has director/star Ben Affleck impeccably recreating one of America’s most dramatic events of the 20th century with strongly developed characters, impressive attention to period detail and uniformly terrific performances. Gone Baby Gone was the strong debut; The Town proved the debut was no fluke; and rounding out his stellar, one-two-three opening punch, Argo would solidify Affleck as one of the strongest filmmakers working today.
Stash Tier: Diamond Stash
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