A skin-tingling, nerve-wracking five-star experience, politics aside

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2012)

There are some who have shouted very loudly that Argo is nothing more than a well-timed slice of propaganda intended to influence the presidential election. Firstly, I'm sure Barrack Obama is hoping that something more tangible than a mere movie will allow him to keep his home on Pennsylvania Avenue. Secondly, that's a terribly scathing view of the American voters. Okay, we'll ignore the embracing of pseudo-patriotic claptrap Act of Valor and the attacks on Kevin Smith for Dogma but you know what I mean.
Lay your political bias aside for 120 minutes, regardless of whether you're red or blue. Argo serves up the kind of tension that modern day horror meisters dream of. Such a film faces an immediate challenge in that most of the audience already knows the outcome, although that didn't dampen the fervor for Titanic or the tension created in Bryan Singer's Valkyrie.
But like Valkyrie, it doesn't matter that you know the result of the audacious plan in Argo although, if your USA/Iran historical knowledge is patchy and this episode passed you by, perhaps it's better to maintain your ignorance and watch as it unfolds. Let me know how it hits you and we can compare experiences from each other's perspective.
In 1979, in the aftermath of the Shah's exile and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini, the American embassy in Tehran was overthrown and fifty-two hostages were taken. Six, however, escaped and were given refuge by the Canadian ambassador. With the situation volatile to say the least, the CIA floundered looking for an escape route for the six before being presented with the 'best bad idea': smuggle them out as the production crew of a fictitious movie called Argo.
The story is remarkable. If we didn't know it was true, who would believe such a ridiculous, life-threatening escapade could be undertaken? This film of that story is absolutely riveting. At times it is genuinely very funny, both for the dialogue and the absurdity of what unfolds in Hollywood and Iran. More often it is terrifying. My skin prickled with the fear and tension in a way I haven't experienced since, oh, probably The Exorcist. The danger most of the participants are in and the likelihood of a brutal death is palpable even from the safety of a cinema seat and I found myself desperately hoping, wishing and willing them on, incapable of stepping back and viewing Argo as simply a film to which I knew the conclusion. Argo is not a film one can sit back and watch, it is an experience that sucks you into its midst.
This is Ben Affleck's third feature as director after the superb Gone Baby Gone and equally impressive The Town and yet again he proves to be a far finer director than he is an actor. That said, as Tony Mendez, the man behind the madcap idea of Argo, he proves he is more than capable of holding a film and commanding our attention on both sides of the camera. Affleck is this generation's Clint Eastwood or Sean Penn and his work is proving to be of an extremely high calibre.
The cast is superb and greatly varied, in some instances the likenesses to their real-life counterparts is almost uncanny. There isn't a standout performance amongst the hostages but neither is there a character that takes the limelight. They form a desperate ensemble careering towards mortality while supporting, laughing and bickering like children who are being forced into actions they have no say over. It is impossible to judge their petulance or negativity when the reality of their predicament is so obvious.
Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel is the light but cutting relief in a film filled with characters starring into an horrific abyss and John Goodman completes the double act in his most enjoyable performance since The Big Lebowski, proving he's worthy of more than the light pap he so often finds himself in. Bryan Cranston is a revelation for those who know him only as Hal from Malcolm in the Middle. The strain is evident in his face and the emotional turmoil he is enduring is barely masked by his occasional smiles and blatantly obvious when he momentarily allows the dam to burst.
The greatest delight with Argo is the sense that it is real, that we are part of the dangerous fiasco and not merely observers from the future. For those who stay, there is a lovely touch at the end with photos of the 'reality' paired with stills from the film as the credits roll. These, like the actors playing the parts, are strikingly similar and the horror of the situation is subtly emphasized.
Who needs schlock fantasy horror when you can enjoy a genuinely chilling horror of the reality?
For more reviews from The Squiss subscribe to my blog at www.thesquiss.co.uk
Like the Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/RpitOG