ARGO (Ben Affleck, Warner Bros., 2012)

I finally saw ARGO (Ben Affleck, Warner Bros., 2012) and I can't remember ever being so torn about a film. On one hand we are presented with a very good film, not great but good. The narrative is captivating and tense. The overall direction provided by Affleck is remarkable. He gets good performances from his cast as well as providing one himself. His production design is outstanding, award worthy. I even liked his musical choices for the films soundtrack. But the film does a huge disservice to one of the most traumatic events in American history. It provides a disgusting representation of Iranian people marking them as bloodthirsty savages and terrorists. Finally it sells the American public short knowing our complete disregard for historical accuracy and our easy willingness to accept the film as a course reader in Middle East 101. As a film it is a really good piece of work. The narrative is strong. It captivated me and I felt a rising tension throughout even though I knew the outcome. It is very stylized and has a serious lack of depth. In fact, where is the character development? I wanted to know more about Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck). Why did he do what he did? What were the issues for him and his family? As they are setting the fake film production up Mendez has a quick conversation with Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) about their children but that's it. Nothing else. I wanted more and had they provided more the film would have had more depth and this depth would have propelled the film from good to great. Ranging from good to great is the directing of Mr. Affleck. The guy simply knows how to direct films. He gets good performances from his entire cast while at the same time giving a good performance himself. Of particular note is the relationship between Mendez, Siegel and John Chambers (John Goodman). This relationship is great chemistry and helps move the film along. Affleck's choices in music were good though I did wonder at times if certain songs had been released at the time of the events in the film. What was amazing and deserving of awards was the production design. Every aspect harkened back to the period. The costumes; god awful 70's styles and fabrics. The props; vintage Star Wars memorabilia, American muscle cars, Polaroid cameras. The hideous makeup and hair. Every bit of P.D. was done exceedingly well. Finally, the smoking. Everyone in the film smoked. So shocking to see that today. To me though the most shocking aspect of the film is its complete disregard for accurate representation. The Iranian hostage crisis was one of the most traumatic events in our history. It came at the end of a near two decade stretch of one of the worst periods of American history. It ended one Presidency, launched another and altered much of our future. To give short shift to a matter of such importance is criminal to me. Also criminal is the representation of Iranian people. At the films beginning it states that the Persian people have a long and proud history yet the film portrays these people as bloodthirsty savages hell bent on the death and destruction of every American. This is simply not true and for a film to do this is reprehensible, Fox News like in it's portrayal. To truly get an accurate representation of Iranian people watch A SEPARATION (Asghar Farhadi, Sony Pictures Classic, 2011). But the film also sells the American public short as well. The glossy beginning and end titles to the film lend the film historical weight but if it isn't entirely factual and doesn't provide an accurate gauge of events how is it helpful to the American public? The problem is very few care. They won't take the time and effort to learn about these events, they would rather accept the presentation given to them and go about their day. As I said, I can't remember being so torn by a film. I think Ben Affleck is an amazing director and can't wait to see his next project. At the same time I wish Hollywood could get out of its own way when it came to making films of this variety.