Shouldn’t the documentary come first, followed by a fictionalized feature “inspired by true events?”
Not in this case. Ben Affleck’s “Argo” introduced many viewers to the Mission: Improbable that sprung six U.S. diplomats out of Iran after the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy.
“Argo” was a Hollywood entertainment all the way, even copping the Oscar for Best Picture. Now comes a Canadian documentary that drops the brassy drama of “Argo” for a more straightforward approach.
Its title, “Our Man in Tehran,” refers to the Canadian ambassador to Iran, Kenneth Taylor, who not only sheltered the American escapees during their hiding but also fed information to Jimmy Carter’s government for the (ultimately, tragically) botched attempted rescue of the other hostages.
If you’ve seen “Argo,” the stories here will be familiar, although “Our Man” spends more time detailing the mess overseen by the Shah of Iran and the opportunity this presented to the religion-fueled revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini. There’s also interesting stuff about Canadian politics — no, really — including a revelation about Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s petty political point-scoring.
Many of the principal players are still around to talk about the escape, including Taylor, CIA operative Tony Mendez (he’s the guy played by Affleck), and some of the escapees. It is a ripping story, well-told by the people who actually participated in it.
The tale includes the CIA’s concoction of a bogus science-fiction movie production, called “Argo,” that was supposedly scouting locations in Iran. The “producers” (the whole ruse has a strong Mel Brooks aspect to it) smuggled in phony passports for the Americans waiting in the safe houses; they, in turn, instantly adopted their Hollywood job descriptions, but also practiced the discreet art of acting Canadian.
The real Mendez comes across as a bit of an I-can-kill-a-goat-by-staring-at-it sort of secret agent, with intensity that recalls G. Gordon Liddy at his most baleful. Ken Taylor is an amusing, affable, sophisticated contrast — in fact, one subtext of this film is the difference between American and Canadian versions of things.
Perhaps its most telling moment comes when Taylor rolls his eyes at how the science-fiction movie scenario spiraled into absurd complexity from its original, simple concept — typical Americans.
In defense of the CIA — what a sentence-starter! — the very ridiculousness of the plan was surely part of its utility. It sounded so Hollywood it could hardly be anything else.
Mendez was the central character of “Argo,” but Taylor emerges as the hero of the real story — maybe not a movie subject, but a diplomatic smoothie whose Canadian reserve helped save some lives.
“Our Man in Tehran” (three stars)
The documentary version of the events dramatized in “Argo,” all about the successful escape of six Americans from Iran after the seizing of the U.S. embassy there. The story’s a good one (already familiar if you saw “Argo”), and it’s interesting to see the real-life versions of characters portrayed by Ben Affleck, etc.
Rating: Not rated; probably PG for subject matter
Showing: SIFF Film Center
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