Argo

Argo

     From the moment of the first visuals appearing on the screen, the viewer is drawn into the violence and tension surrounding the political situation in Iran. A brief history of the country portrayed through a storyboarding effect gives the audience a peek into what the film is going to be about. Delivering documentary style cinematography, one is left in the middle ground between fact and fiction with little but known actors’ faces to draw the line. The desperation seeps out of the screen as you witness a United States embassy being enveloped by an angry mob intent on destroying western influence in their homeland. From this point on, we follow a seemingly impossible plan from inception to completion. Through clever story presentation and impeccable juxtaposition, the viewer is made aware of what lengths had been taken to insure a successful “best of the worst plans.”

      Aside from the plan itself, the characters help to define the film in an emotional and relatable way. We are brought through feelings of despair and hopelessness as 69 days have passed since their successful escape from the embassy. Living in hiding, these 6 foreign relations personal see no light at the end of the tunnel. Their only hope is the fact that no one knows they have escaped. Upon the arrival of Kevin Harkins (Ben Affleck) they greet their escape plan with doubt and dismay. At this point, you are completely in the midst of the group and seem to focus on the individual pains as well as the group dynamic of the situation all at the same time. With little trust in their sudden “Moses”, you begin to sense that they wont be able to keep their wits long enough to even make it through to extraction day.

     Just as things seem to be turning around, a plot twist comes to ruin the day. It is made aware that the CIA has called back the operation and asked for all evidence to be forgotten and destroyed. The severity of the guilt that would ride on the conscience of Harkins is palpable in a nice segment involving the characters introspection and sleepless night kept company by tobacco and a fine bottle of scotch. You find yourself cheering at his consideration to disobey the orders sent down to him and when Harkin makes the decision to go, a brief moment of hope emits quickly followed by the daunting feat that lay ahead. In the final quarter of the movie, you are transported into a revolutionary situation in which the airport has been turned into a port with the sole purpose of exposing spies and trying them for their crimes against the state. If one thing can be said about Affleck’s direction of the film, it is that he is no stranger to building anxiety in the mind of the audience. I found myself clenching the chair as the revolutionary guards are interrogating them with the boarding gate in sight. Once again, cross cuts are made to between the CIA headquarters, the Hollywood production office and the situation itself, creating a moment with which the viewer can fully relate. Argo stands as an emotional rollercoaster driven by the gravity of the situation. With balanced story progression and A+ editing, this seemingly popcorn action flick tugs at our moral senses and puts the viewer in a place no one would care to visit outside the comfort of a cinematic venue.