The Academy Award winning thriller “Argo” is playing at the Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema & Indie Lounge on the north side of Indianapolis, but not for long. Ben Affleck directs and stars in the film along with Oscar® winner George Clooney. Argo presents a compelling story of a highly dangerous, covert operation to extract six Americans from Iran.
The story unfolds on November 4, 1979 as the Iranian revolution has reached a tipping point. Fifty-two Americans are taken hostage, but somehow six manage to escape. They take temporary refuge in the Iranian home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor, but know it won’t be long before they are recaptured and very likely killed.
Enter CIA “extractor” Tony Mendez, played by Ben Affleck. Together with a Hollywood producer named Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman), they concoct a brazen scheme to fabricate a fake sci-fi thriller named “Argo.” To make for a convincing cover they commission a screenplay and pay for storyboards. And to complete the illusion they even go so far as to take out a fake ad in Variety. Mendez’ job is to fly alone into Tehran and teach the Americans how to impersonate a real Hollywood film crew. They approach the Iranians on the pretext of needing a desert location for their movie. They convince them that the six people they are trying to extract are actually Canadians whose job it was to scout for locations.
Bryan Cranston plays the CIA chief who gives the go-ahead to the mission and Victor Garber plays Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor, who provides refuge behind his embassy’s doors.
What makes Argo so compelling is the fact that this outlandish scheme actually took place and is based on fact. We’re not talking about a move that was merely inspired by real events, as so many other movies purport to be. This is an actual chronicle of real-life events, of history itself. The amazing story was classified as top secret for 18 years. Will the six Americans make it safely back to America? You’ll have to watch Argo to find out.
The screenplay, written by Chris Terrio, was based on a The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and “The Great Escape,” a Wired Magazine article written by Joshuah Bearman. Argo was filmed on location in Los Angeles, Washington, DC and Istanbul.
Event Info:
- 02/26/2013 through 03/08/2013
- Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema & Indie Lounge
- 8702 Keystone Crossing Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46240
- Tel. 317-579-3009
- Website
