Argo

Shouts of “Allahu akbar! Marg bar Amrika!” ring out. Effigies hang and banners wave.

“Argo,” Ben Affleck’s latest political thriller, opens as outraged Iranian students and militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. The protesters were angered that the U.S. government gave refuge to the former Shah, an opulent and selfish ruler.

The Iranian protesters held 52 American hostages for 444 days. However, six Americans escaped to the Canadian embassy.

Based on a true story, “Argo” chronicles CIA operative Tony Mendez’s (Affleck) rescue mission to save the six. Mendez enters Tehran under the guise of filming a movie called “Argo.” While he enters alone, he plans to leave Tehran with the rest of his film crew — the escaped six.

This plan was actually the best option available. “Argo” brilliantly highlights the bureaucratic ignorance in the State Department and White House, whose suggestions were nothing short of laughable.

The tension in Washington creates a tangible fear in Tehran.

From the opening scene, the claustrophobia and paranoia in 1979 Tehran send shocks through the audience.

The actors playing the six Americans intricately capture the fear of being discovered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the simultaneous mistrust they hold for their liberator, Mendez. He will either save them or lead them to their public execution.

Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman keep the operation alive in the States and, more importantly, use humor to break the seemingly constant suspense.

Of course, parts of the story were heightened and fictionalized to add to that suspense. Affleck’s direction walks the line between harrowing and hokey in the final escape scene but manages to stay on the right side of that line thanks to a quiet ending.

The timing of this release cannot be understated. Whether it was intentional or not, “Argo” connects to the United States in 2012 in a breathtaking manner.

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens was killed in the Benghazi consulate last month. Policy debates regarding Iran have escalated as the presidential race has made the Middle Eastern country a key foreign policy issue.

“Argo” looks back on history but suggests this story hasn’t ended. Affleck’s film will take you on a thrill ride and make you think.

Who knew Hollywood still had it?

By Bridget Ameche