Review of Argo (2012) by Clarisesamuels — 27 Feb 2013

Apparently film critic Leonard Maltin liked Argo and is quoted as saying, “Don't get your history from the movies.” Maybe it would be better to say, “Don't put history in your movies if you don't get it.

” Argo was a good film but it wasn't about what it claimed to be about. If you're going to fiddle with very minor historical moments, maybe no one will notice or care, but this was a major event in recent American history.

A short summary of what never happened--there was no trip to the Bazaar, which would have been too dangerous; the six were divided up at the homes of two Canadian officials, not one, and they all liked the idea of the movie production team as their cover; the airport screening went off without a hitch--no one confronted them and no squad cars chased the plane down--the only tension was the announcement that there would be a 1-hour delay because of mechanical problems.

However, after the plane cleared Iranian air space, everybody cheered. They got that part right. Some feel that Iranians have a right to object to the stereotypical portrayal of their citizens, and Canada feels that the CIA is being made to look like the heroes, when the Canadians did most of the work, which included three months of preparation for the final coup.

A scene at the end of the film gives the erroneous impression that Canada had to be given the credit because no one was allowed to know that the CIA was involved, in which case, it sounded almost like Canada was taking the heat for the CIA rather than being lauded for heroism.

Ben Affleck is a good director and a good actor, but his fantasy version of the story should have been filmed as fiction and not fact. Argo worked well when it showed insiders being caustically critical of how a Hollywood production is run behind the scenes.

(That would make a good movie by itself.) The film might have been a good thriller, but when you go into it knowing that the most exciting part, the airport clearance and chase at the end, never happened, it's not that thrilling.

It's boring. In any case, the film has nothing to do with the American government's view of the episode; it's just trying to be pure Hollywood entertainment, using all the old tricks that all directors and screenwriters use to lure people into the theaters so that the studios can make money.

And given how many bad films are being released lately, a film that shows directorial skill and tells a good story ends up being exaggerated to the point where it wins Best Picture. Argo was not the best picture, but the pickings were slim.

They couldn't even come up with ten selections at the Oscars--they had nine, and one movie, Amour, was listed twice under Best Picture and Best Foreign Picture. In the end, no one should be insulted by Argo--it's not worth it.