I have not been this tensed in a movie house since Inception. I was, literally, at the edge of my seat the entire 2 hours. By the time the airplane took off, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Here's the clincher: I know how the story would end even before it began. Like the Titanic and Apollo 13, I have read about the Argo a while back. But reading it as a matter of fact and witnessing it unfold scene by scene and emotion by emotion are two very different things. The film is so brilliant that it goes beyond retelling of an important part of history. It transported the audience to that frightening era and actually made us feel like we were part of it. Argo was an emotional roller coaster ride in as much as it was a historical journey making it a complete cinematic experience. And it is an experience I would not forget in a really long time.
Fact Meets Fiction
Argo is a true to life story about the rescue of 6 Americans during the Iran hostage crisis in the late '70s. When the deposed sha'h fled to the US, the Iranian revolutionaries waged war against America. They marched to the US embassy and held the 52 US workers hostage. 6 managed to escape and hid at the Canadian ambassador's house. Fearing of what the Iranians will do once they got wind of the refugees' whereabouts, the US government crafted a plan to get the Americans out of Tehran. Posing as a Hollywood producer, Exfiltration specialist Tom Mendez headed to Iran for a location check for his fake movie, Argo (A Star Wars rip off). His real mission: get the 6 Americans, provide them fake identities, pass them off as production crew and get them back to US soil (hopefully, alive). It was a plot so incredulous it could only happen in the movies. And it kind of did. But only after it panned out in real life. Because believe it or not, that's how it happened.
What I like about Argo is how it was able to take this piece of history and turn it to a gripping story about people. While the sociopolitical background of the time made for a conflicted and conflicting setting, it didn't overshadow the characters in the movie. At the end of the day, I think it's humanness of the film that really brought it to life. Argo really delved into the personalities of these characters and tapped into their emotions that the hostage crisis became so much more than just an event that happened in the past. Predominantly, it became a story of fear: fear of being caught, fear of not being able to go home, fear of dying. Then came the multitude of different emotions felt by all the individuals. It became about Tom's moral dilemma when he was instructed to abort the mission and leave the hostages behind. It became about Jack's (Tom's supervisor) anger and guilt when he had to call Tom and make him go home. It became about Mark's regret for bringing his wife to Iran. It became about Jordan's will to survive. It also morphed into a story of trust, a story of commitment, a story of heroism. This gamut of feelings combined with the tension felt all throughout the film is so overwhelming and so overpowering, you can't help but be moved, shaken even. I know I was.
A Little Bit of Fear, A Little Bit of Hope and A Dash of Humor n Between
Another thing I liked about Argo is how it played off of fear and hope and how it was able to switch between the 2 emotions so brilliantly. Just when you think they're going to get caught, someone comes up with an idea that keeps them alive. Then just wen you think they're going to make it, something happens that changes everything completely. This seesaw between fear and hope is what keeps the audience on their toes. What's going to happen next? Is someone going to die? Will they make it in time? These are the questions we find ourselves asking even if we already know the answer.
But in true great storytelling fashion, Argo was able to inject a bit of humor in the film to balance the emotion overload. I really liked how John Goodman and Alan Arkin seamlessly brought the Hollywood satire amidst the political theme and the personal conflicts. It didn't feel forced or out of line. Given the circumstance, it actually felt appropriate, required even. And it gave the audience that much needed break from the emotional turmoil. The witty barb, the tongue & cheek quips and the sharp dialogues also helped ease the tension a bit, or at least enough to prepare us for the next scene.
Argo's box-office success can be credited to good timing, great actors and excellent script. But I think what makes it special is the sincerity in its storytelling, the raw emotions it invokes in us and the way it made us view history a bit differently.
A movie as special as Argo comes few and far between. So if you haven't seen it yet, please see it.
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