Entertaining and suspenseful

Rating: 9/10 (28 October 2012)

Very entertaining, suspenseful movie about how in 1979 the CIA exfiltrated six American diplomats who have escaped the takeover of the American embassy by supporters of the Ayatullah Khomeini and taken refuge in the Canadian embassy, without the knowledge of the Iranian authorities (the historical and political background is shown in an attractive animated segment at the beginning of the film - and is the only part in the movie where the Americans set themselves for criticism for their previous support of the deposed Shah). For that endeavor, the CIA sent an exfiltration expert, Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck, who is very good and who also directed). After conventional escape plans were explored and looked like they wouldn't work out, Mendez thought up a bizarre plan: go to Iran and leave with the six diplomats pretending that they belong to a Canadian film crew planning to film a B type Sci Fi film named Argo in Iran. To give credibility to the story, Mendez had two film producers (played by John Goodman and Alan Arkin) set up an office in Hollywood as if the planned movie was for real. Surprisingly, the ploy worked (since this story is public knowledge, I don't think saying this is much of a spoiler).
Great recreation of an era and a place (Istanbul and Los Angeles are a believable stand-in for Tehran, along with some digital graphics playing the mountains in the background). Interesting and gripping throughout, even if some details were obviously added for dramatic effect (almost certainly the Iranians didn't chase the leaving plane in the runway). About the only flaw of movie: the constant, irritating, self absorbed in-jokes of the two movie producers.