Argo

Film (2012)

With Ben Affleck (Tony Mendez), Bryan Cranston (Jack O’Donnell), Alan Arkin (Lester Siegel), John Goodman (John Chambers), Victor Garber (Ken Taylor), Tate Donovan (Bob Anders), Clea DuVall (Cora Lijek), Scoot McNairy (Joe Stafford), Rory Cochrane (Lee Schatz), Christopher Denham (Mark Lijek), Kerry Bishé (Kathy Stafford), Kyle Chandler (Hamilton Jordan), Chris Messina (Malinov), Zeljko Ivanek (Robert Pender), Titus Welliver (Bates), Keith Szarabajka (Adam Engell), Bob Gunton (Cyrus Vance), Richard Kind (Max Klein)

It is 1979 and the Islamic revolution has just occurred in Iran. The American embassy has been stormed and sixty-six hostages have been taken. Six Americans from the embassy have escaped and are in hiding at the Canadian embassy. A plan is hatched to get them out of Iran. It involves creating the ruse that the Americans are actually Canadians on a brief visit to check out sites for the shooting of a movie. The film is based on an historic episode which was classified by the American government until the second half of the Clinton administration.

This highly suspenseful and well written film has exceedingly good dramatic pacing. As well, direction of all the major players and of the supporting roles is effective and compelling.

Incorporating a Hollywood component adds a humorously welcome dimension to the range of acting. Alan Arkin plays a gruff and flamboyant Hollywood film producer and John Goodman plays a Hollywood makeup designer; they are an hysterically funny pair.

A subplot involving an Iranian housekeeper at the Canadian embassy is particularly well developed.

The director, Ben Affleck, also stars in the movie as Tony Mendez, the CIA operative who masterminded the operation. He does an excellent job in the role, conveying solid determination seasoned by humility and vulnerability.

All of those who play the hostages are very effective. Victor Garber as the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor, is reassuringly vigilant but relaxed. The supporting actors – all of the Iranians – are terrifyingly convincing.

Bryan Cranston (Jack O’Donnell), who was notable in Fox Broadcasting’s TV seriesMalcolm in the Middle and Chris Messina (Malinov), who I particularly liked in HBO’s TV series Six Feet Under (2001-2005), are effective and welcome additions to the cast, playing CIA middlemen.

This straightforwardly patriotic film is co-produced by Affleck and George Clooney, notable political progressives. Their mounting a CIA thriller with mass appeal just short of the election suggests a subtly inflected subtext.

The film demonstrates quite clearly that the Democratic Carter administration, which suffered great political indignity because of the Iran hostage crisis, actually managed to execute this covert operation during the same general time frame. This operation could not be publicly revealed until many years later, and it is possible that Affleck and Clooney want to gently remind the American populace that Democrats like Carter, and like Obama, do know how to deal with international crises, and, in particular, with Iran, which is a grievously sore political spot at present.

Affleck has written, directed and acted in a series of wonderful films about Boston, his home town, in recent years, but it is also nice to see him doing something a bit different this time – and he has done it very well.

– BADMan