Argo
- Feb 22, 2015
- 2 min read
One of the best things about a well done history movie is that it can open up a discussion on a topic that may not be receiving the attention it deserves while also having an engaging story. In the case of Argo the film draws attention to the Iran hostage crisis. Normally what is taught in history classes is simply a brief discussion of relationships between Iran and the United States falling apart due to changes in leadership and how that relates to the current stances that each country takes toward the other. Argo looks more closely at a group of people who escaped the Embassy but found themselves in an even more dangerous situation.
The movie is lead by the Ben Affleck’s character Tony Mendez. Affleck has very little dialogue and most of the memorable lines are delivered by the rest of the cast with familiar faces such as John Goodman and Brian Cranston but the facial expressions and silence of Affleck often deliver more than any quick line could. Between the silence of Affleck’s Tony Mendez and the quick one liners of Goodman and Cranston’s characters there are many scenes which highlight the news coverage of the time as well as the areas where the events are taking place. These features work well together and make the impossible story of a nonexistent movie being the cover for a hostage rescue far more believable.
While much of the movie proceeds at a pace highlighting only the most important parts of the greater narrative of the Iran hostage crisis, the last 40 minutes of the film zero in on how it felt to live in the overwhelming life and death reality of escaping Iran. Everything until this point proceeds at a cautious rate. No one wants to be the person to second guess the plan, and at the same time no one is fully invested in the plan. This all changes at the end when it is time for the escape plan to be put into action though. Without spoiling the ending it is the fear of failure that nearly causes the plan to fail while those who were least invested in it do the most to make sure it works.
Argo does not provide a heavy comment on humanity or morality, it simply draws attention to the reality that many of the best plans ever executed never receive the attention they deserve. It is not jaw-dropping special effects or spectacular action that make this movie great. It is the way in which a story is told with characters that the audience learns to care for while learning a bit about the history of the United States and Iran. However, the film could have done more to highlight the moral ambiguity of the situation as at times Iranians are made out to be evil savages and the United States a generous savior.
8.8/10
Comments