?Argo? a pleasing paradox of film making - CalTimes

(photo courtesy of Warner Brothers)

By Gene Axton
editor in chief

?Argo? is a movie based on a true story that centers on a fake movie called Argo. This may sound like a convoluted mess, but director Ben Affleck sets a perfect pace for the proceedings while leading man Ben Affleck pulls audiences in early, setting up one of the best third acts in recent memory.

On Nov. 4, 1979, militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran, Iran and over 50 Americas were taken hostage. During the siege, six Americans escaped into the streets and took shelter in the Canadian ambassador?s home. An expert in extracting sensitive cargo, Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), is called upon to escort these Americans out of Iran and back to safety.

After convincing the CIA that a fabricated bike trip is a brilliant way to get six Americans killed, Mendez is given the green light to create his fake feature. Long-time CIA collaborator and Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman) is brought into the fold, along with producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin). A science fiction odyssey into a barren alien desert is fast-tracked for production, and Iran is the perfect place for scouting locations.

What follows is a prime example of expert film making.? Every player, from the Canadian ambassador to the American film producer, is fully realized with amazing performances from every actor on-screen. The degree to which every character involved is invested in the outcome is clear, and these performances (along with the perfect pace at which the story unfolds) draw audiences in for the big finale.

A cinephile would be hard-pressed to find a thriller with character development superior to ?Argo,? and the third act proves the first and second as time well spent.? Every moment leading up to the eventual escape attempt serves to emphasize prying questions and suspicious looks.? Whether you are a nail-biter or an edge-sitter, expect to fall into your security blanket for a half hour or more, and expect the payoff to be just as exhilarating.

?Argo? has some tough competition during awards season, but no other film this year has matched Affleck?s ability to grab hold of audiences and throw them into a film?s world. Argo is a movie that was never meant to reach theaters; a sand-soaked blockbuster a la ?Star Wars? that went on to sell exactly zero tickets. ?Argo? is a modern masterpiece that chronicles this fabricated film?s architects and their heroic attempt to save six people from a conflict-ridden Iran. Somehow, I?m not bitter about the film that died in the desert.

Source: http://sai.calu.edu/caltimes/index.php/2013/02/08/argo-a-pleasing-paradox-of-film-making/

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