Argo
dir. Ben Affleck · 2012
Plot
After Iranian militants stormed and took control of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 taking 56 Americans as hostages, six Americans managed to get away and took refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. After two months of the Canadians putting their lives on the line everyday, the CIA and the US State Department try to come up with a plan to get their people out. Tony Mendez is an "ex filtration" specialist who proposes that they pose as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a science fiction movie called Argo. Using Hollywood connections, Mendez creates a back story for the movie - ads in Variety, casting calls, inviting he media to a production launch - and then heads off to Iran to lead the six Americans out.
Why watch
A group of American diplomats hides in the home of the Canadian ambassador as Iranian militants seize the U.S. Embassy. Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, devises a daring plan to extract them by posing as a film crew scouting locations for a fictional movie. Watching it feels like a tightrope walk, where every moment is fraught with danger and the stakes are life and death.