Friday Film Noir
Argo (2012) is a political thriller directed by Ben Affleck and written by Chris Terrio. The film is based on the real CIA operation to extract six American diplomats who hid in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA exfiltration specialist, is tasked with devising a plan to get the diplomats out without alerting Iranian authorities. Posing as a Canadian film producer scouting locations for a fake science-fiction movie, Mendez travels to Iran and coaches the group to assume new identities as part of the fabricated production. As tensions escalate and suspicion grows, the mission hinges on whether the cover story can hold long enough to get everyone safely out of the country.
Filming took place in Los Angeles, Istanbul, and parts of California that doubled for Tehran. Ben Affleck worked closely with CIA Officer Tony Mendez before filming, studying his demeanor and operational habits to ground the performance in real tradecraft rather than cinematic exaggeration. Mendez also served as a technical consultant, advising on dialogue, disguises, and CIA procedures depicted in the film. Several scenes set inside CIA headquarters were shot in real government buildings with modified interiors to preserve authenticity. The fake Hollywood production office scenes were inspired by real meetings that took place in Los Angeles, where the CIA enlisted industry veterans to help sell the cover story. Tony Mendez later said the film captured the spirit of the operation. At the Oscars, Argo received seven nominations and won three, including Best Picture.
2012 • R • 2h
