Best Picture - Argo

Director Ben Affleck's Argo, was an astonishing and impressive tale depicting the true events of the bravery of Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, that led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. 

 

I first became interested in Argo due to all the positive reviews and response it continuously gained and so that immediately captured my attention. I had previously known about the story and so I knew what the movie would mostly cover, however, when I did finally watch it, I was pleasantly surprised.
 

I believe Argo is an amazing movie because it does not bother with silliness that could have dangerously maneuvered the movie into a completely different direction. Instead, the plot stayed focused so that the truth could have a chance of peeking out rather than letting drama interfere with the story. For example, the six American diplomats secretly residing in the house of the Canadian ambassador were shown coping with the daily fear of being discovered by the Iranian militia through tense conversations and stressed-filled activities. Instead of adding extra sub-plots like strained marriages or difficult relationships between the six people, the movie chose to focus on the main problem which was remaining hidden from the militia, which was a very wise choice. Sometimes, these kinds of movies tend to blend the truth with a bit of drama in order to make it more exciting, and although such a choice is quite common and almost natural, it does subtract from the film at times. However, this movie mostly remained loyal to the facts, making it stand out and truly earn the praise it received.

 

Another aspect that made Argo such a great movie was the fact that it could easily incorporate the smallest details of life with the more serious and conflicting matters. For example, there is a lot of humor that circulates throughout the movie, especially with various inside jokes (such as Argo f-- yourself) that only adds to the film. Although such jokes may sometimes seem inappropriate and even irrelevant to certain movies, Argo managed to break these barriers by flawlessly blending these elements into the movie. Such humor truly established the personality of the characters in the movie, making them relatable, which was extremely vital because then the characters are able to be viewed as ordinary people rather than unimaginable heroes from a different universe.

 

Although the shot composition was not extremely great, it was pleasing because it did bring the movie alive. For example, towards the end of the movie, a dramatic chase ensues between the six diplomats along with Mendez, and the Iranian military. Quick shots then used for the whole chasing sequence which caused tension to build up, leading the audience to anticipate what was going to happen next. These quick cuts were also used between tense conversations between the six trapped Americans, as each one slowly began to fear the endless possibility of remaining trapped forever. This also set up the stressful emotions that the characters were forced to endure which only heightened the overall mood of the movie regarding the diplomats.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed director Ben Affleck's Argo, because it contained several elements that added to the film. I strongly believe this movie will win Best Picture although it has great competition.