Review by Emily Moran

The short:

Argo is a Best Picture academy award-winning film directed by Ben Affleck in 2012. The film is a dramatic retelling of the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979 and the US government’s plan to rescue six of the hostages who escaped initial capture.

The long:

The film was based on the true story of a rescue that took place of six civilians who escaped the United States Embassy in Iran and were hiding in the Canadian Ambassador’s house. The film also gave a lot of insight into the order of events and what the captured Americans went through while in captivity. Argo explained US/Iranian relations in a clear and interesting way that kept the audience captivated from beginning to end.

In the film, it is portrayed that the man sent on the mission to Iran goes against government orders to save the hostages because he could not leave these people in the country to possibly be captured and killed by the Iranian government. This idea of not negotiating with Iranians could have been discussed more in-depth in the film. There were a few scenes where the six who escaped were seen discussing the fact that the US should give up the Shah, but this was only briefly talked about. This was an ongoing debate in the US at the time

This policy of not negotiating with foreign enemies is a topic that continually comes up in US foreign policy. There is a direct link between the US allowing the Shah asylum and the Iranian hostage crisis. There is a valid fear associated with the US giving in to the demands of so-called terrorists or enemies of the state. Argo shows a major flaw in US foreign policy regarding negotiations with the organizations and enemies of the state. 

To watch or not to watch:

The cinematography, suspense, setting, and acting in the film are incredible. Ben Affleck does an excellent job retelling the story from the perspective of the US government. The movie did not give a stance on the actions of the US government, it was more showing the situation chronologically and telling an exciting story. Overall, the film is great but it includes many western biases that must be looked out for while watching the movie.