Man, has it been a long time since I’ve gone to the movies (I believe The Dark Knight Rises was the last one I saw). Probably my longest stretch. There has just been absolutely nothing good out in so long. And now all of a sudden there’s a million things out at once and I just might go broke in the next month trying to cram them all in. I really want to see Looper, Seven Psychopaths, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Paranormal Activity 4 (Don’t judge me….have you seen the second one?? I’m convinced all the even-numbered ones are going to be really good. Don’t ruin this for me.)
At most importantly….I reallyreallyreally wanted to see Argo!
Yay Ben Affleck!
I really wanted this movie to be amazing. I’m not the biggest fan of Ben Affleck as an actor (I’ve just generally not been interested in the movies he’s in), but I did love The Town, and Good Will Hunting is one of my favorites. Okay, so maybe I’m just biased towards Boston movies, but no it’s just a coincidence.
He definitely proved his talent with The Town, but Argo is some of the greatest directing I’ve seen in a long time.
This movie had my eyes locked on the screen, darting back and forth to take in everything, for the entire 120 minutes. It was definitely a story that needed to be told and it blew me away. It’s crazy to think that all of this happened only 30 years ago. Just the history of this movie alone was enough to get me very involved and angry/shocked/horrified. To see what these Americans went through because their government had to get involved in everybody’s business is just awful.
Affleck does a superb job of portraying this crisis on film and the tension created in the theater was incredible. I had goosebumps several times throughout the film, including the entire final half hour.
If you don’t know the premise of the story, you should first watch the trailer because it does an excellent job of portraying what the film is exactly about. And it gives you a preview of the tension and suspense that engulfs this film.
But here’s the gist: During the Iranian hostage crisis, while the Iranian people stormed the embassy and took 50 Americans hostage for what would end up being a total of 444 days, six of the embassy workers managed to escape out a back door. After being turned down by several other countries, the Canadian ambassador agreed to allow them to hide out in his house, knowing that the entire Revolutionary Guard would be going door to door to find these Americans once they realized that a few had escaped.
Ben Affleck’s character Tony Mendez develops a scheme to produce a fake movie with John Goodman and Alan Arkin as a cover for the six escapees. They acquire the script for Argo, a sci-fi thriller that needs to be filmed in an exotic dessert-like location. Enter the need for a 7-person film crew (Affleck and the 6 escapees) to fly to Iran to scout for locations. Affleck is to arrive alone, meet up with the other 6 and get them on a plane back out of the country while eluding the Revolutionary Guard, adapting entirely new identities, and not hoping they don’t crack under fear and pressure.
Argo expertly transitions between the many different locations of the film, showing the progress of the Iranians of figuring out that six had escaped, the Revolutionary Guard going door to door, the Canadian ambassadors house where the escapees are hiding among an increasingly more suspicious Iranian housekeeper, Goodman and Arkin’s comedic escapades in Hollywood, and very real images of the streets of a country who despises the American people more than any of us could possibly fathom.
You will be on the edge of your seat and it is made infinitely better by the fact that this all actually happened. Stick around for the credits to see how the real footage corresponds with the movie. I was amazed. Affleck did an incredible job of sticking true to events and accurately portraying the horrors of Iran and the chaos back home.
The accuracy was spot on. The emotions were high. And the acting was great.
Affleck and crew did a great job, but my favorite acting of the movie belonged to Bryan Cranston. He doesn’t have a huge part, but he adds a LOT to this movie. He ups the tension and ties the entire ending sequence together. I loved him.
So yeah…what are you waiting for? Go see it! And let me know what you all think about it! And all the other great movies that are out right now!
Have a fantastic week!
Boston Without the Accent 