Argo confirms that real life is almost always stranger than fiction. But it also proves so much more. That Hollywood satire and serious political tension can co-exist. That a mainstream film can have heart, brains and guts. And that Ben Affleck is not only three for three as an exciting, suspenseful director – but can also pull off that ‘70s porno look with aplomb. Kudos, sir.
At the height of the 1979 Iranian hostage crises, the CIA concoct a bizarre plan to rescue six Americans hiding in the Canadian ambassador’s house. Headed by ‘exfiltration’ expert Tony Mendez (Affleck), the team pose as a film crew scouting for locations. With Iranian security and paranoia at fever pitch, their backstory must be watertight. So begins a surreal journey, as Hollywood producers are roped into creating a fake movie, their egos occasionally holding up the process: “If I’m going to do a fake movie, it’s going to be a fake hit.”
This “theatre of the absurd” theme becomes a subtle but brilliantly shining thread in Argo’s deftly woven tapestry. Underneath nail-biting suspense and genuinely hilarious one-liners is a cutting examination of the thread of hypocrisy running through foreign policy, media and Westernised culture. From America’s refusal to acknowledge its role in the Islamic revolution, to the angry Tehran street mobs playing up for cameras, to the much mocked façades of Old Hollywood, Affleck’s film is waging its own war: one against bullshit.
The brilliance of Argo lies in its ability to blend these lofty ideas with wonderful, mainstream action that will delight regular movie-goers, film buffs and amateur political analysts alike. Alan Arkin and John Goodman provide rip-roaring laughs as jaded Hollywood hacks. The ensemble playing the terrified hostages are the picture of fear and uncertainty. Affleck masterfully juxtaposes levity with emotional and dramatic heft. And he gets the period detail spot-on.
Unbearably tense, beautifully acted and featuring one of the best catchphrases of modern cinema, Argo is a crackling success.