Gone Benifer Gone

Argo starts with a quick history lesson to get the viewer up to speed and set the scene for what is to follow and I am going to do the same here. So let me take you back to the summer of 2003. I had just finish uni and moved to Cardiff and the hottest couple in Hollywood had just made the truly terrible Gigli. I am of cause talking about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (J Lo to her friends)

Benifer and the awful product of that union Gigli! 

Now if I ever get around to making my time machine I can only imagine the reaction of my 20 year old self when I sat him down and tell him that the very same Affleck would go on to direct a film based on the 1979 Iranian US Embassy hostage crisis. A film that would earn Affleck a Best Director Golden Globe & get a Best Film Oscar nod.

"Are you talking about the same Ben Affleck who was in Daredevil, Pearl Harbour & Paycheck' my younger self would say 'your crazy fatter hairy version of me! That can't be true!"

I saw Affleck in the same light that Family Guy portrayed him as the guy who hung on to Matt Damien's coat tails, coat tails that he rode all the way to an Oscar for Good Will Hunting. However apart from his work with Kevin Smith in film such as Dogma he went on to become someone who spent more time in the gossip mags than he did in the disappointing films that he was making.

A turning point in Afflecks career

2007's Gone Baby Gone went some way to repairing his reputation but it was going to take more than one film. I have not seen The Town although people I respect have said good things about it, so I went into Argo with Affleck still in the red in my view. I left my local World of Cine with my views of Mr Affleck (yes Mr!) completely changed, Gigli was forgotten, Benifer a distant memory.  

Yes Argo was that good!

So Argo tells the story of true life events where a CIA operative (Affleck) is sent into Iran to help get out 6 US Embassy workers who have escaped the riots and are being sheltered by the Canadian Ambassador at his house. The problem he has is that people are looking for all Americans and passions are running high. Most of the first half is spent jumping between the staff in Iran and Affleck in the US who is looking for a way to get them out.

So I've think that I have spent enough time talking about Affleck as director and need to give a nod to the cast. And what a cast it is with the likes Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman & Victor Garber all putting in great performances. I found my favourite characters were the Canadian Ambassador played by Garber and his wife who put a lot on the line to protect the US diplomats.

Then there is Affleck again who is excellent as CIA Agent Tony Mendez who is a man with all the pressure on his shoulders both at work and at home. He has to deal with a lot of tough situations and make some difficult calls in both his relationship with the U.S. diplomats and the one with his family.

Affleck plays CIA agent Tony Mendez

Argo strength is that it manages to juggle two very separate tones. It manges to balance the drama and tension that goes with the Iranian hostage situation with some lighthearted and frequently humorous 'Faux Film' Hollywood parts. Mendez's plan is to get into Iran and rescue the U.S. diplomats under the guise of a Canadian film crew filming a sci-fi film called Argo. For this he enlists his movie makeup artist friend played by Goodman who in turn brings in Arkin's producer. This is where the humor comes in as this part of the story played out very much as a satirical look at the Hollywood movie industry.

"If I'm going to make a fake movies, it's going to be a fake hit"

But no telling of this story was going to be all laughs and giggles and there are some tense and at time dark scenes. The opening scenes where a riot is started outside the US Embassy and we cut between the workers in the embassy and the crowds outside were extremely tense. The staff deciding whether to stay and destroy all paperwork or get out while they still can felt real. The dialog and acting was natural and because of this you felt like you were there and it made me personally question what I would have done in the situation. My co-blogger Daria likened the scene to Munich's opening and I couldn't agree more as both gave me that same feeling of horror. 

You may think that having humor as part of this story may be out of place or disrespectful but it is so well handled and balanced that it works. One minute you are experiencing torture scenes in a basement and the next your laughing at Alan Arkin as he haggles with fellow producers. I'm not sure how it works but it does.

The U.S. diplomats learn their lines.

The end was tense as I was not aware of what actually happened although I did feel that it probably didn't play out in the same way in real life. But I can forgive that because at the end of the day this is a movie and not a documentary and as long as the end destination is the same I don't mind being taken on a slightly different route there. The politics running in the background was also fascinating as peoples lives were weighed against international relations and promises are tested to breaking.

If you go and watch this make sure you stay for the credits as it does that thing I love in films based on true stories and show you pictures of the actual events and people involved. 

So Argo changed a long held opinion I held of Ben Affleck and I think it richly deserves all recognition it gets this awards season. But......IT AIN'T NO OLDBOY!

Therefor Today My Favourite Film Is...Still...Oldboy!

Written by 
Owen with a very blocked nose.