“Argo F*** Yourself”
Affleck's lastest outing as a director is a masterclass in dark comedy and political satire
Based on true events, Affleck’s latest directorial is a darkly comic mixture of thriller and political satire.
When the US embassy in Tehran is stormed in November 1979 in retaliation for American interference in Iranian politics, six diplomats, nicknamed ‘the house-guests’ take shelter in the Canadian ambassador’s (Victor Garber) private residence. With the rest of the embassy staff held hostage, and their captors looking for the escapees, the US State Department faces the task of safely extracting them from the country.
CIA operative Tony Mendez (Affleck) is brought in to consult, and devises a plan so ridiculous it becomes the only viable option: indeed it is the “best bad idea” that they could dream up. The trapped embassy workers needed a valid reason to be in the country, in order for them to avoid arousing suspicion when trying to leave. Inspired by his son’s love for sci-fi, Mendez and Hollywood makeup artist (Goodman) enlist the help of film producer Lester Siegel (Arkin), serial scene stealer who delivers some of the film’s best lines with expert timing; and together set up a fake film studio and begin to create hype around a pretend film, Argo. Set on a planet with a Middle Eastern atmosphere, it is a hilariously cheesy film: a case-study into all that’s wrong with Hollywood.
The embassy workers are assigned new Canadian identities: they are production staff members location scouting for the film. Mendez flies to Iran to meet the group, and then together, the seven have to convince the Iranians that the film is real, and that their identities are genuine. The group faces a race against time to get out of the country before they are discovered.
This is a little known piece of history that seems made for film: the juxtaposition of the satirical farce of Hollywood is all the funnier against the serious and rather gritty situation unfolding across the other side of the world. Which is just as well –too serious and the film would be too heavy and oppressive, yet something too comic would be inappropriate, given lives were always at stake. The flipping between locations keeps the screenplay dynamic and pacing urgent. Amusing similarities are drawn between selling the film’s legitimacy to the Iranians, and feeding the film to the American media: it’s all for show, all just a goal directed business (as Mendez points out, filmmakers would shoot “in Stalingrad, with Pol Pot directing” if they thought it would make money): contrast against Affleck’s film, which is beautifully constructed and full of heart.
Attention to detail is clearly important to Affleck, as the actors chosen to play the embassy workers were surprising like their real-life counterparts, as shown from real life stills of the group, well played by the little known actors Tate Donovan, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Clea DuVall, Kerry Bishé and Christopher Denham. The weeks the group spend in captivity are oppressively claustrophobic and fraught with tension and fear; visually conveyed with cramped sets, tight close-ups and hazy lighting. The actors themselves no stranger to isolation: Affleck had the group held in captivity for a week prior to filming, to add to the authenticity of the piece.
Affleck plays the pivotal role very subtly – he is restrained and at times almost bland and too underdeveloped. But that’s okay: this isn’t a film about characters, it’s a film about a plot too good to be true (and probably is), and by stepping back Affleck gives the film room to shine. But his direction is first rate – he executes the complex story perfectly; driving it forward; maintaining the sense of urgency, weaving together satire, classic escape film, historical and political commentary with absolute precision and balance. The period feels authentic, with grainy cinematography, terrible fashion and the perpetual fog of cigarette smoke. The final sequences are (literally) nail-bitingly, edge-of-your-seat tense; a testament to an entirely absorbing film that keeps its audience gripped and emotionally involved right until its conclusion. Argo is about intelligence winning out over violence; about the importance of good relations with political allies, and has modern day significance for the American-Iranian relationship.
