I have been wanting to see "Argo" since it first came out. As you heard me say earlier this month in my review of "Silver Linings Playbook," awards season is in full swing! That means, it's time to see all the nominated movies!
The Golden Globes are early this year (mark your calendar for Sunday January 13, 2013) so I've decided to see as many movies as I can between now and Wednesday January 2nd when I go back to work.
Today I went with my friend and her husband to see "Argo" at the Boston Common theater. There was about twenty minutes of previews, adding to my list of must-see movies! I am now looking forward to "Zero Dark Thirty", "On the Road" and "The Great Gatsby." The fact that "The Great Gatsby" trailer opens with a Jay-Z and Kanye West song just makes me love it even more.
Before sitting down to see "Argo" I already knew it was based on a true story. I read several interviews with Ben Affleck (who stars and directs) about the making of the film, so I was prepared for the context of the story.
The first hour of the film felt incredibly slow to me. It was a lot of set up. The protests scenes were so real that is was hard to tell if you were watching new footage or old stock footage.
During the set up we flip back and forth between Tehran, the White House and the CIA. I had no idea how many A list actors were in the supporting cast! Brian Cranston of "Breaking Bad," Kyle Chandler of "Friday Night Lights," Titus Welliver of "The Good Wife," Tate Donovan of "The O.C." and John Goodman of "Roseanne." Though they didn't have much time on screen (it really was the Ben Affleck show), I loved seeing all of them together in one film.
Though the start of the film was slow, the last 30 minutes had me literally on the edge of my seat. I was leaning forward toward the screen, had my hands over my mouth and kept fidgeting. Once Ben's character Tony and the six U.S. embassy workers were on the move, trying to flee Iran, I was totally hooked. Did anyone else think that as a group, the embassy workers resembled the Scooby Doo gang?
Every obstacle the group hit, I was scared all over again, and I know how the story ends! Ben as director did such a great job building the suspense and keeping you guessing. Those final scenes in the airport in Iran had me shaking! When one of the embassy workers revealed he spoke Farsi I thought for sure they were cooked. I was frightened again when the police started chasing down the plane and then finally when the stewardess picked up the telephone seconds after they took off. I actually heard the entire theater audience breathe a sign of relief when she announced they had left Iranian air space.
I really loved two of the closing scenes - first when Brian Cranston's character jokes with Tony (Ben) about winning a top secret CIA award and second, when Tony returns home to his estranged wife and they just hug each other in silence on the front porch.
There were plenty of thoughtful details in the film, one which stuck out to me the most. In the final scene Tony is snuggling with his son in his bed and then the camera pans to the story board for the fake film and the super hero is carrying his son in exactly the same position. Awwww. Maybe being a father of three in real life is infiltrating Ben's artistic vision.
Speaking of details, how crazy were the scenes where the army of Iranian children spent all day and night piecing back together the photos and documents that had been shredded. Who could even do that? My eyes hurt just thinking about it.
We stayed through the end of the credits because they were showing real life photos side by side with the images from the film. They really did an amazing job casting and recreating the scenes from the Iran hostage crisis. It was eerily accurate.
If you're an awards season junkie like me, you have to see "Argo." Put up with the slow start because it will all feel worth it when you watch the group just barely escape.
Next up, "Lincoln" and "The Sessions."
*All images courtesy of Argo.
