Rating: 6.5/10
Entertaining and captivating while keeping the tensions high throughout, Argo does justice to the true event it is based on and manages some tight moment to make this a good film and a worthy Best Picture winner.
Based on the "Canadian Caper" that took place during the Iran Hostage Crisis around 1980, the ridicule of the plot/concept make us audience criticize, then drop jaws in disbelief to find out that it is not fiction. Yes indeed 6 ambassadors escaped the raid and torture of Iranians in 1979, only to realize that their sole hope to escape is to follow US exhilaration specialist Tony Mendez's instructions to act as a Canadian filming crew visiting Iran to find appropriate film locations for a fake sci-fi movie called "Argo", which is in the style of Star Wars lol. As ludicrous the plan sounds, as serious people during the time treated this operation. They set up fake production company offices and namecards, fake movie boards and posters, phony production meeting and even phony advertisements on magazines and newspaper so to publicize this made-up film. The wikipedia page of Canadian Caper contains detailed story of the event while not dramatising it, for the real event itself wasn't really that dramatic and wouldn't make a good movie. However in Argo (2012), Ben Affleck did a good job in retelling the event as a thriller and providing a climax of serious tensions that is a true testament to the abilities of cinema in recounting history and publicizing it.
The cast is decent. In the end credits photographs showing ID cards of the 6 US ambassadors involved in the real Canadian Caper were displayed alongside images of their respective actors of this film, and I was marvelling at how close they resemble each other. Ben Affleck is average. He didn't do much to catch my attention or steal the show, and sometimes there was just that dull face occupying the screen. There could be better acting choices but still, thumbs up to him for doing the directorial and production work.
In some ways Argo is drawn back by its real life adaption, for the first hour was all about background building and setting up for the climax and having little drama and plot. Still the atmosphere is tense and as the climax happened - as the ambassadors followed Mendez through the airport security, Iranians shot glances and the process was interrupted, that was when the filming skills kick off and it made me clutching the edge of the seat. Despite this isn't the movies that shall interest me and others of my age, the thrills and intrigue were real and I felt it, and at the end of the day it was not bad - a easy to understand plot faithful to real life happenings and with big time theme like national responsibility and cross regional conflicts.
