Ben Affleck once again puts on display the genius that he is capable of. A genius that we otherwise don’t get to see (or haven’t seen in a very long time). Perhaps, he doesn’t want to show what he’s capable of. Or perhaps he doesn’t find the world and the people around him inspiring enough. That’s why he had to look into a hidden event in history to find inspiration. Or may be it’s George Clooney that was able to get the best out of Ben Affleck (if he could do it to Matt Damon in Oceans’ series, he can do it to Ben).
We’ve seen Ben Affleck’s genius before. Remember Good Will Hunting, where he was the co-writer with Matt Damon. (OK, fine so Matt Damon is talented (mr ripley) without George Clooney too!) Even movies like Shakespeare in Love and Forces of Nature, showed Ben Affleck the actor with a lot presence and a unique personality that was not easily imitable.
But, we haven’t seen much of that for a very long time, with forgettable roles like Daredevil, State of Play, Paycheck. Well, the point is, we see this genius back again, this time as the director of this masterful film. And thank god for that.
The film is set in 1980 against the background of the Ayatollah Khomeini regime in Iran, with a significantly strong Anti-American sentiment. During the time that the Irani local revolutionaries had captured the US embassy and had held people hostage for over 200 days. Their demand: the repatriation of the previous Iran Shah for public punishment who, having been supported by US, had mis-governed for many years, and was now hiding in the US. The story of the film, however, revolves around a sub-plot of 6 Americans who fled the embassy before being captured by the extremists, without being noticed. And how they are rescued from Iran before the extremists find them missing.
Fairly simple plot? But, it gets complicated and therefore exciting because first, they are not in hiding just anywhere, but in the Canadian Ambassador’s house, a country that is in peace with Iran. Further, with the Irani soldiers scrutinizing and blocking all airports, it’s not a simple case of getting in and pulling them out. And finally, the clock is ticking as the extremists are only a few days away from being able to piece all the papers together to find if anyone in the captured embassy is missing. (FYI, if the 6 get caught, they will be publicly hanged!)
And so emerges the creative and elaborate plot by CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) to make a fake Canadian sci-fi movie (Argo) and fake it’s shooting and production reccy in Iran, getting the 6 Americans to pose as the film crew, and therefore taking them out.
What ensues is a nail biting thriller, that keeps you following every detail of the movie being produced, every tense look of the 6 helpless Americans, every dialogue that the Irani extremists speak to the workers piecing the papers together, every door bell that rings at the Canadian Ambassador’s house, making you wonder if they will ever get out alive. Throughout the movie (for those who hadn’t read their history well enough before), you keep hoping that they get out alive, but doubt if you’re hoping for the impossible. How can they ever get out alive! The whole fake movie idea is never going to work. Is it? It was a stupid idea. What were they thinking! And then you hear the script telling you “Argo, F*** Yourself”. And the cycle of hope begins again.
If the power of Lincoln was in Daniel Day Lewis & Steven Spielberg’s human touch to the character, the power of Silver Linings Playbook in the nuances & details of Pat & Tiffany’s characters, the power of Life of Pi in the grand vision & visualization of a momentous journey... the power of Argo is simply in the story and the screen play (no wonder it got the Oscar for it). It’s a really well-told story that takes you into the world of 1980s and makes that era real. But, unlike Lincoln where you see (and admire) that time as a piece of history (from a distance), Argo literally takes you to the 1980s Iran and makes you feel vulnerable and scared amidst a country ruled by extremists. May be also because terrorism & vulnerability are still such live realities of our times, that the threat on your life amidst a violent environment feels quite real and something that you can relate to.
The plot of the fake movie-making to rescue a big political situation feels faintly reminiscent of the other brilliant movie Wag the Dog (interestingly released in the same year as Ben Affleck’s previous genius GoodWill Hunting), but while Wag the Dog made you laugh cynically, Argo keeps you on the edge of the seat till the very end. Even when they’ve boarded the plane finally, you’re not relieved, because you know that the extremists have found out and they could still stop the plane. Even when the plane leaves the runway you’re not satisfied they are safe, because you almost can’t believe that it’s over. The script controls your emotions throughout the movie and it’s only after the script tells you “ that we have cleared Iranian airspace & you can now have alcoholic drinks” that you breathe easy & celebrate.
All I’ll say is forget the fact that the movie is set against a belligerent Iran (suspiciously well timed against the current Iran nuclear reality), forget any larger human behaviour under stress messaging, forget the subtle allusion to US international politics, and forget the oscars for the best picture. Argo is a must-watch for it’s sheer entertainment value - a good old classic page turner. And if that’s not enough, “Argo F*** Yourself”
