| Argo | |
|---|---|
 "The movie was fake. The mission was real." | |
| Directed By | Ben Affleck |
| Screenplay By | Chris Terrio |
| Cast | Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin |
| Produced By | George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Grant Heslov |
| Cinematography By | Rodrigo Prieto |
| Film Editing By | William Goldenberg |
| Music By | Alexandre Desplat |
| Studio | Smokehouse Pictures, GK Films |
| Distributed By | Warner Bros. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English, Persian |
| Release Date | October 12, 2012 |
| Runtime | 120 Minutes |
| Rating | R |
| Budget | $44,500,000 |
| Gross | $232,325,503 |
Overview[]
Argo is a 2012 American produced thriller-drama espionage film directed and starring Ben Affleck. The film was based on the real life events of the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis and a clandestine exfiltration of six American embassy staff members popularly known as "The Canadian Caper".
It was inspired by the 2007 Wired article by Joshuah Bearman, "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" and the declassified 1999 nonfiction memoir by Tony Mendez, "The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA" who played a key role in the operation.
In November of 1979, the US Embassy was stormed by Iranian revolutionaries and took 60 Americans inside hostage. But they missed 6 people who escaped in the panic. Trapped in a hostile country, they have no way to escape.
Washington wants a diplomatic solution and are more concerned about the other 60 hostages; the CIA has no exfiltration plan; and everyone has essentially written them off as to be inevitably captured and/or killed.
One man has a different idea.
It was completely audacious and totally ridiculous.
He called it ... Argo.
Plot[]
Following the overthrow of the Iranian government in 1953 with the assistance of the United States and Great Britain; a new Shah was installed with pro-Western leanings. But his attempts to westernize the nation with economic and social reforms sparked great civil dissent and resentment and culminated in his overthrow and exile in 1979.
A new Iranian government was installed with a formidable anti-Western stance and in the midst of the chaos, the U.S. Embassy in Iran is overrun and most of the staff are taken hostage. However six staff members managed to flee shortly before the storming of the Embassy and are hidden in the private home of the Canadian Ambassador. But the noose is tightening and they cannot remain hidden forever.
The U.S. government is baffled at how to rescue them. They are six foreigners stranded in a country where the majority of the citizens don't look anything like them. They have no training or experience in espionage or disguise or just fitting in. And the entire Iranian military has sealed the borders and are examining every foreigner coming or leaving the country. Obviously they cannot get leave Iran without the entire military converging in on them.
So far, the Canadian's diplomatic immunity is holding the military at bay but it is a thin shield at best and eroding by the day as increasing anti-Western sentiment is rising that the diplomatic mission will soon be forced to decamp.
The six cannot leave but they cannot stay either. It appears hopeless.
Until CIA Agent Tony Mendez hatches an audacious scheme while watching a sci-fi movie with his son. What if ... they don't conceal them? What if they are hidden in plain sight?
Hollywood Hatches a Plan; the "Front Man"
He immediately contacts an old friend of his in Hollywood, John Chambers who is a professional make-up artist whom Mendez has consulted with about realistic disguises that he has used in the field. Chambers is skeptical but agrees to help. They create a sophisticated backstory of a science fiction movie "Argo" to be shot in several exotic locations specifically the desert wastelands of the Middle East. The Embassy Six being fronted as producers and location scouts for the movie when the Iranian revolution kicked off.
Recruiting famous movie mogul Lester Siegel as their "front man"; the pair begin a media blitz about the forthcoming "Argo" movie with offices, business cards, press parties, storyboard mock-ups, and even advertisements in newspapers. Mendez subsequently flies out to Iran where he quietly makes contact with the Embassy Six to present them with their fake credentials and backstories. He reveals that they will make several appearances in public, openly drawing attention to themselves for a few days before making their way to the airport to board a neutral airline and fly out of the country as though they have nothing to fear.
The group are terrified and do not believe that this ridiculous cover story will hold up under scrutiny. But are gratified when Mendez reveals that he will be risking his life alongside them and they all decide to go through with his scheme. He proceeds to lead them to openly tour the Tehran Bazaar, shooting pictures to scout it as a potential location for "Argo" in front of numerous suspicious authorities and watchful military personnel. Their brief tour however is ruined by a blatantly hostile shopkeeper and they are nervously rushed out before tensions boil over.
But not all is going well back home.
Mendez in Iran
The US State Department is wary of potentially offending and worsening relations with the new Iranian Government while running this risky and dubious operation for a mere six people while there are another sixty hostages in Iranians' hands. Also the US military is busy plotting their own paramilitary rescue operation and feel that having a clandestine exfiltration operation may increase security and other factors and want it shut down. Together, they pressure the CIA into cancelling the op and the prepaid airline tickets for the Embassy Six.
Mendez is given orders to abort the mission and abandon the Embassy Six before returning home. Siegel and Chambers who have been stationed at the fake Argo office are told that the mission is being scrubbed and to shut down operations.
Worse still, Iran has been reconstructing shredded documents and realizes that there are a few embassy staff members still at large. With time running out, Mendez realizes that he is unable to leave the Embassy Six to potential torture and death and pushes forward with "Argo" despite no support.
Realizing that Mendez is proceeding with the exfiltration mission anyway, his CIA superiors desperately try to convince the State Department to re-authorize the payment to the airline for the tickets that the group needs to travel out of Iran. As the group try to check in at the airport for boarding, they are informed that there is no record of their reservation alerting the military personnel. Mendez pleads for them to recheck again even as his CIA superiors approach President Carter who hastily authorizes the payment.
Meanwhile, Iran has managed to reconstruct a photograph ID of one of the Embassy Six which is immediately forwarded to their security personnel.
Confrontation at the Airport
Even though the reservations have gone through however, the group find themselves under intense scrutiny by several military guards. The Embassy Six produce their fake credentials and even show their fake business cards, newspaper articles, and storyboard mockups for "Argo". One guard even goes as far as to telephone the business offices where Lester Siegel and John Chambers answer it at the last second and confirm Mendez's story.
Satisfied, the group is permitted to board but as the airplane begins to taxi down the runway to take off, the photo ID is passed onto the security guards. Immediately recognizing the man as being one of the Argo group, they hastily rush out to stop the airplane. But despite a harrowing chase down the runway, the Iran military is simply unable to catch up to the jet which soars off with the Embassy Six and Mendez aboard who all breath a sigh of relief.
Due to the fact that the other 60 hostages are still being held in captivity, the blame for the whole sham operation was focused on the Canadians who had sheltered the Embassy Six with the CIA hiding their involvement to prevent potential retaliation against the hostages.
Mendez is subsequently awarded the CIA's Intelligence Star but due to the clandestine nature of the operation, had to relinquish it until the operation was declassified. Afterwards he is quietly packing up all of the documents from the operation and sneaks off with one of the Argo storyboard mockups as a memento for his son.
The remaining 60 hostages were subsequently released nearly 1 year later.
Cast[]
- Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez
- Bryan Cranston as Jack O'Donnell
- Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel
- John Goodman as John Chambers
- Tate Donovan as Robert Anders
- Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek
- Christopher Denham as Mark Lijek
- Scoot McNairy as Joe Stafford
- Kerry Bishe as Kathy Stafford
- Rory Cochrane as Lee Schatz
- Victor Garber as Ken Taylor
- Kyle Chandler as Hamilton Jordan
- Chris Messina as Malinov
- Zeljko Ivanek as Robert Pender
- Titus Welliver as Jon Bates
- Bob Gunton as Cyrus Vance
- Philip Baker Hall as Stansfield Turner
- Richard Kind as Max Klein
- Richard Dillane as Peter Nicholls
- Keith Szarabajka as Adam Engell
- Michael Parks as Jack Kirby
- Tom Lenk as Rodd
- Christopher Stanley as Tom Ahern
- Page Leong as Pat Taylor
- Taylor Schilling as Christine Mendez
- Ashley Wood as Beauty
- Barry Livingston as David Marmor
- Sheila Vand as Sahar
- Omid Abtahi as Reza
- Karina Logue as Elizabeth Ann Swift
- Adrienne Barbeau as Nina
- Fouad Hajji as Komiteh
- Sheila Vand as Sahar
- Allegra Carpenter as British Airways Flight Attendant
- Michael Cassidy as Jordan's Analyst
- Nelson Franklin as L.A. Times Reporter
- Nancy Stelle as Swissair Flight Attendant
- Tehmina Sunny as Swissair Ticketing Agent
- Ayden Mayeri as Flight Attendant
Production[]
Argo was based on a 2007 screenplay written by Chris Terrior who was inspired by Joshuah Bearman's article "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" which was published in Wired in 2007. The article focused on the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis which saw a small group of Americans escape from the hostile country with the help of Canada. What many did not know at the time was the exfiltration was conducted with the aid of the CIA who fronted a massive operation, creating a fake Hollywood production company and even an ad campaign to promote a sci-fi movie that didn't exist in order to give them a plausible "cover story". Terrior also used details acquired from the declassified 1999 nonfiction memoir by Tony Mendez, "The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA". The screenplay was quickly picked up by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and David Klawans that same year.
Ben Affleck was selected as the director in February of 2011 and Alan Arkin was the first cast member chosen in the following June. Affleck made the semi-controversial decision to cast himself in the main role of Tony Mendez soon afterwards.
Filming began in Los Angeles with additional scenes were shot in McLean, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Istanbul from early September of 2011 to mid November of 2011. The film makers were given unprecedented access to the CIA Headquarters thanks to the efforts of Tony Mendez. Argo made extensive use of archive footage from various news sources such as ABC, NBC, and CBS as well as various popular songs from the era to create the historical backdrop of the year 1979.
Alternative Movie Titles[]
- Operation Argo
Additional/Alternate Movie Taglines[]
- The movie was fake. The mission was real.
- Based on the Exaggerated True Story.
- Based on the Declassified True Story.
- The Mission was a Movie.
- The Movie was a Cover.
- Hollywood bought the Plot.
- The CIA gave the Green Light.
Reception[]
Argo was originally released on August 31, 2012 at the Telluride Film Festival and was highly praised by critics for its cast, script, and editing. It premiered on October 12 of that year in the United States alongside Sinister; Here Comes the Boom; Seven Psychopaths; and Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike. It debuted in 3,232 theaters nationwide and earned a total gross of $19,458,109 in its opening weekend and rose to the number 2 slot of most popular movies, failing to overtake the previously released Taken 2.
It continued to hold its position over the next week before finally claiming the number 1 box office draw in its third week but was quickly knocked down by newcomers Wreck-It Ralph and Flight on their premiere weekends to third place by its fifth weekend. Argo struggled to maintain its hold but swiftly fell to the 10th slot by its seventh weekend. It lingered for the next few weekends in the Top 20, often fluctuating in its ranking position, sometimes rising but more often steadily falling in performance. It finally was toppled out of the Top 20 by its 24th weekend and would end its 28-week box office run at a dismal 71 ranking slot.
Overall, it earned a total gross figure of $136,025,503 domestically with a total of $96,300,000 in the foreign markets for a combined worldwide gross of $232,325,503.
It received relatively uniformly positive acclaim and reviews by critics for its performance as well as its ability to build and maintain suspense throughout the film. The Rotten Tomatoes website gave it a 96% "Fresh" Rating with Metacritic scored it "86 out of 100" and pronounced it as "a must-see film". It was one of the last films ever reviewed by legendary film critic Roger Ebert before his death and described it as "spellbinding" and cited it as being one of the best films of 2012.
There were some few negative criticisms of the film; some citing historical inaccuracies such as the focus of United States' CIA being the primary source behind the successful exfiltration and minimizing the role of the Canadian Embassy as well as how the Embassy Six were turned away from other foreign embassies. In truth, several other embassies such as Britain and New Zealand both lent considerable support and assistance to the Canadians both in sheltering the Embassy Six but also in assisting in the exfiltration mission. Iran also expressed several negative reviews of the film leading it to be banned in the country. Surprisingly, Iran also reputedly had a very high level of bootleg copies of the film, numbering in the "several hundreds of thousands" which some have suggested was a form of subtle criticism of the Iranian Government by its populace.
Winning Oscar for "Best Picture"
Other criticisms were on the casting of Ben Affleck in the role of the Hispanic Tony Mendez despite the fact that Mendez himself proclaimed that he was "fine" with it and that he doesn't even think of himself as being Hispanic.
Affleck himself has apologized for some of these criticisms and inaccuracies but admitted that this was a dramatization; not an actual depiction of real life and thus, he felt that he needed to heighten the tension by making certain changes.
Overall, however Argo won many audiences and critics over and went on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards and won three Oscars including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Ben Affleck also won a Golden Globe for directing the film.
Trivia[]
- During the film, Tony Mendez comes up with the idea of using a movie as a cover story while watching the film Planet of the Apes with his son. This was intended as a homage to the fact that the makeup artist John Chambers had worked on the film and earned an honorary Oscar for his work.
- The fake production company, Studio 6 that was "producing" Argo was named in honor of the six embassy workers that the CIA were intending to exfiltrate.
- The storyboard mockups for Argo were actually drawn by real-life legendary comic book artist and pioneer, Jack Kirby who helped create Captain America and was hugely influential in other comic book series including the Fantastic Four; the Silver Surfer; Hulk; Thor; Iron Man; Black Panther; and many others. They were originally done for a potential film adaptation for Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light" novel which fell through due to legal reasons. John Chambers apparently acquired several of the mockups and used them as "proof" for the film. These storyboards are currently owned by well known comic book artist Jim Lee who was unaware of the historical significance behind them until the movie was released and simply bought them because he was a fan of Jack Kirby.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor's estate was used as Alan Arkin's character of Lester Siegel's expansive Hollywood home during the film.
- Following the release of Argo, Iran pushed for a French lawyer to pursue a lawsuit against it, claiming it was deliberately intended to incite public anger and support for a future U.S. military invasion of Iran. The lawyer brought suit against Ben Affleck directly, claiming him guilty of "war crimes". The suit was immediately dismissed as groundless.
- The fake producers office set up by the CIA for the mission, Studio 6 was deliberately set up as realistically as possible at the Sunset Gower Studios which is the largest independent movie studio in Hollywood and still very much active to this day in both film and TV shows; their offices had actually been previously used by Michael Douglas for his film, The China Syndrome. Reportedly, Studio 6 was still receiving movie scripts even weeks after it was shut down including one by Steven Spielberg.
- The award given to Affleck's character of Tony Mendez at the end of the film was the CIA Intelligence Star. The Intelligence Star is considered the equivalent to the US Armed Forces' Silver Star; the third highest award for valor and extraordinary heroism. The Intelligence Star is bestowed for "voluntary acts of courage performed under hazardous conditions or for outstanding achievements or services rendered with distinction under conditions of grave risk" and is one of the rarest awards given out and usually only posthumously. However in Mendez's case, because the Argo Operation was classified, he could not "keep" the award as it was seen as "proof" of the mission itself and why he was seen giving it back afterwards. Mendez would only receive his Intelligence Star in 1997 when the CIA declassified the operation, seventeen years later.