# Argo: Good Film, Not Great Film \[Argo reviews thread\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627 "2012-10-13T17:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/21 "2012-10-15T14:22:20Z")
P.S. I would like to thank \*\*Equipoise \*\*for linking to that picture. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/22 "2012-10-15T14:23:47Z")
I thought it was very, very good. I really liked the art direction that created such a feel for the 1979-1980 era, right down to the grainy texture of the film and set decoration of the airport and the Canadian embassador’s home. It was definitely not USA propaganda. Not only did it blame the US and Britain for the circumstances leading up to the revolt, it also showed the administration’s willingness to hang Mendez and the escapees out to dry when the operation became too politically risky (no telling how much of that is true, but it made for good drama). Also really enjoyed the comic relief of Goodman and Arkin. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/23 "2012-10-15T16:30:49Z")
Saw it last night, liked it a lot, but felt that it went off the rails in the third act with the 11th hour mission aborting and with the police cars chasing the plane on the tarmac, that was simply too fantastic. Also, it appeared as if the air traffic controller had a cocktail in front of him when the police stormed the control tower - that was a wtf moment. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/24 "2012-10-15T16:39:14Z")
I disagree that knowing how the story ends took away from the suspense. The sheer improbability of the story made it quite suspenseful to watch. Sure, the timing of events at the end was embellished, but that’s to be expected. I think this will probably get nods for Best Picture and Best Director, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t win anything. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/25 "2012-10-21T03:53:50Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I thought it was very, very good. I really liked the art direction that created such a feel for the 1979-1980 era, right down to the grainy texture of the film and set decoration of the airport and the Canadian embassador’s home. > > It was definitely not USA propaganda. Not only did it blame the US and Britain for the circumstances leading up to the revolt, it also showed the administration’s willingness to hang Mendez and the escapees out to dry when the operation became too politically risky (no telling how much of that is true, but it made for good drama). > > Also really enjoyed the comic relief of Goodman and Arkin. I completely agree with this and the two posts that followed. This movie is a _lock_ to get nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, Art Direction and others. Whatever its competition notwithstanding, I feel it’s deserving. I found the movie that much more impressive that it held my suspense when I had pretty much assumed a happy ending. I am very curious to read the link above that sets the record straight. Obviously poetic license is king in Hollywood and the climactic sequence struck me as pure fabrication, but still, kudos to the filmmakers, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/26 "2012-10-21T14:51:02Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > Saw it last night, liked it a lot, but felt that it went off the rails in the third act with the 11th hour mission aborting and with the police cars chasing the plane on the tarmac, that was simply too fantastic. Also, it appeared as if the air traffic controller had a cocktail in front of him when the police stormed the control tower - that was a wtf moment. The sad part is that the reality would have been plenty exciting. The custom agent walks off with all but one passport into a back room … to get some tea. The douche that didn’t want to go along with the plan didn’t have his character down and was using people’s real names. All that would have made good airport drama. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/27 "2012-11-06T18:59:39Z")
I rated it OK. The Hollywood part of the story with John Goodman, Arkin, etc was great. The Iran part- not so much. Not only do you know what’s gonna happen, so the false suspense isn’t working but honestly, the film-maker did nothing to make me care about whether or not they got out or not. The invented and silly-assed airfield chase scene was likely the worst part. Then the director/cameraman kept focusing on the smoking. Now sure, it’s the 70’s, and smoking was endemic. But you don’t have to focus on it, each puff and light up lovingly featured. Not only that- but even tho smoking was endemic, it can be ignored. It doesn’t have to be in there. No one will notice it. Sure people smoked, but they pissed too and I noted that the director didn’t need to show any bathroom scenes. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/28 "2012-11-06T20:09:55Z")
My feelings are right in with most of the above–good but not great. Funny thing is that they skipped one of the more interesting real-life parts of the escape (the wardrobing of the escapees in loud clothes and gold chains to appear “Hollywood”) most likely to appear more credible. My two gripes with the film are both related to historical verisimilitude: 1) to address **zamboniracer** ’s concerns above, no, none of the last-second chase shenanigans happened in real life. The escape went off without a hitch, and implying otherwise is a disservice to history. 2) The film shortchanges Jack Kirby’s role in the caper. I don’t believe he is even mentioned by name. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/29 "2012-11-09T20:28:19Z")
Saw it last night, really enjoyed it - Argo is a solid film. Perhaps it actually happened this way in real life, but I kind of rolled my eyes to see the Canadian’s wrecked house, then one of the Republican Guards picks up the phone to dial out. What, they thought to smash all the radio equipment, but not cut the phone line? There was a voice-over on the ending credits explaining a bit about the life of the makeup artist who assisted the FBI. During this VO, they showed pictures of the actors next to the original passports, allowing the audience to compare real life with fiction. And the makeup work and casting was pretty good - one or two of the actors were dead ringers for the passport photos. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/30 "2012-11-10T23:59:42Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Part of the problem is, if you saw the trailers and know even a tad bit about history, you know exactly what happens in this film. I saw it yesterday and I agree. I remember the events, so I knew what was going to happen. But the younger members of the party, with no knowledge of the story, were enthralled. One question:Did the British and the New Zealanders really turn the US embassy workers away? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/31 "2012-11-11T00:04:41Z")
**Cunctator** , the answer to your qustion is “no”. It was my understanding that they did help, but the locations were compromised in some way. Actually, I’m content to having watched a well written story told through a finely crafted film. I didn’t need any “twist endings” or cgi superhero characters or any other trappings of what makes a “blockbuster”. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/32 "2012-11-11T02:35:25Z")
I saw it this afternoon and really liked it. Like others here, I appreciated the look of it. I was curious as to the accuracy and found this great Wired article about it. [http://www.wired.com/magazine/2007/04/feat\_cia](http://www.wired.com/magazine/2007/04/feat_cia) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/33 "2012-11-12T13:02:26Z")
We just saw this yesterday. I thought it was a better-than-good film. I’d heard the story when it happened. of course, but not the details about how the six were spirited out. Besides the inaccuracies about the depth of Canadian involvement (which was much deeper than the film projects) and British and Newealdnd cooperation (they apparently didn’t turn the Americans down, as the film states), I was taken by another aspect. They credits list someone playing “Jack Kirby”. Jack Kirby? The legendary comic book artist? Did HE do the storyboards? It turns out that the film that Mendez latched onto as the springboard for his fake Science Fiction film wasn’t really a “Star Wars ripoff”, as the movie _Argo_ states, but an adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s _Lord of Light_ that had been in the works for quite a while (!!). This wasn’t _Message from the Stars_ or the original _Battlestar Galactica_, but a recognized SF cult classic, a blend of SF and Fantasy in which characters take on the form, powers, and characteristics of the gods of the Hindu pantheon. It’s not surprising that Jack Kirby – artist of Thor, Asgrad, Olympus, and creator of the New Gods – would be approached for conceptual design. Nor is it hard to see what caught Mendez’ eye in that Middle Eastern-Indian conceptual landscape. The point is that the film _Argo_ misrepresented the fictional story as completely as it did other aspects – this was no Star Wars/Flash Gordon wannabe, as it was portrayed. > **[Jack Kirby's LORD OF LIGHT Concept Art Used By The CIA For ARGO](https://comicbookmovie.com/sci_fi/jack-kirbys-lord-of-light-concept-art-used-by-the-cia-for-argo-a69299)** > > If you're a fan of the legendary comic-book artist Jack Kirby, who co-created the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Hulk with Stan Lee, than you are used to the artist not getting as much credit as he deserves. Ben Affleck's Argo is just another... [http://lordoflight.com/](http://lordoflight.com/) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/34 "2012-11-12T14:02:04Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > One question:Did the British and the New Zealanders really turn the US embassy workers away? In the link above to (the real) Tony Mendez and his opinion of things, he says “every word in the book was the truth”. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/35 "2012-11-12T15:18:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > We just saw this yesterday. I thought it was a better-than-good film. I’d heard the story when it happened. of course, but not the details about how the six were spirited out. > > Besides the inaccuracies about the depth of Canadian involvement (which was much deeper than the film projects) and British and Newealdnd cooperation (they apparently didn’t turn the Americans down, as the film states), I was taken by another aspect. They credits list someone playing “Jack Kirby”. Jack Kirby? The legendary comic book artist? Did HE do the storyboards? > > It turns out that the film that Mendez latched onto as the springboard for his fake Science Fiction film wasn’t really a “Star Wars ripoff”, as the movie _Argo_ states, but an adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s _Lord of Light_ that had been in the works for quite a while (!!). This wasn’t _Message from the Stars_ or the original _Battlestar Galactica_, but a recognized SF cult classic, a blend of SF and Fantasy in which characters take on the form, powers, and characteristics of the gods of the Hindu pantheon. It’s not surprising that Jack Kirby – artist of Thor, Asgrad, Olympus, and creator of the New Gods – would be approached for conceptual design. Nor is it hard to see what caught Mendez’ eye in that Middle Eastern-Indian conceptual landscape. > > The point is that the film _Argo_ misrepresented the fictional story as completely as it did other aspects – this was no Star Wars/Flash Gordon wannabe, as it was portrayed. > > [Jack Kirby's LORD OF LIGHT Concept Art Used By The CIA For ARGO](http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=69299) > > [http://lordoflight.com/](http://lordoflight.com/) But, in keeping with the verisimilitude of the film, why would a CIA director (or Hollywood types, for that matter) know about _Lords of Light_, given that science fiction was far more ghettoized as a genre back in 1979? To them, it _would_ be another “Star Wars knock-off”, and for their purposes it’s irrelevant if the script was an adapted screenplay or an original one. All it needed was exotic locales which would necessitate a trip to Iran. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/36 "2012-11-12T16:20:17Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > But, in keeping with the verisimilitude of the film, why would a CIA director (or Hollywood types, for that matter) know about _Lords of Light_, given that science fiction was far more ghettoized as a genre back in 1979? To them, it _would_ be another “Star Wars knock-off”, and for their purposes it’s irrelevant if the script was an adapted screenplay or an original one. All it needed was exotic locales which would necessitate a trip to Iran. The point is that they DID know what the film was like, since they had the treatments and storyboards. My point was that the current film “dumbed it down” beyond the existing stuff. The storyboards, characters, and costumes they showed were for a Star Wars ripoff, not the film that they had all the parts for. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/37 "2012-11-16T14:17:13Z")
Have you seen the movie? I just saw it last night. Pretty good movie, a good story, and **Thank You, Canada**. I’m becoming impressed with Ben Affleck’s acting, although he’s pretty stoic all the time in this one. Not like in The Town. Oh, and _Argo fuck yourself!_ ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/38 "2012-11-16T14:18:39Z")
Oh, I missed **etv** ’s thread, just started. ETA: well, **etv78’s** thread is a different topic. Maybe this one can stay. So, have you seen it? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/39 "2012-11-16T14:20:42Z")
There are already several threads on this film: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668627&highlight=Argo](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668627&highlight=Argo) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=672343&highlight=Argo](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=672343&highlight=Argo) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668222&highlight=Argo](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668222&highlight=Argo) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/40 "2012-11-16T14:59:21Z")
I’ve reported this to be merged into the other thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627.md?page=3)