Argo became a box office success, grossing $232 million worldwide, and receiving widespread critical acclaim for the acting, Affleck's direction, Terrio's screenplay, the editing, and Desplat's score. Commentators and participants in the actual operation criticized flaws in historical accuracy. The film received seven nominations at the85th Academy Awards and won three, forBest Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay, andBest Film Editing.
On the advice ofJohn Chambers, aHollywoodmake-up artist who had previously worked for the CIA, Mendez works withfilm producer Lester Siegel to create a phony film production company. They successfully establish the pretense of developingArgo, a "science fantasy adventure" in the style ofStar Wars, to lend the cover story credibility. Therevolutionaries reassemble embassy photographs shredded before the takeover and realize some personnel are unaccounted for. Posing as a producer forArgo, Mendez enters Iran under the alias Kevin Harkins and meets with the six escapees, who are growing restless. He provides themCanadian passports and fake identities. They reluctantly go along, knowing that Mendez is also risking his own life. A scouting visit to thebazaar to maintain their cover story takes a bad turn when a hostile shopkeeper harasses them, but their Iranian culture contact hustles them away from the hostile crowd.
Mendez is told the operation has been canceled in favor of aplanned military rescue of the hostages. He pushes ahead anyway, forcing his boss,Deputy Director Jack O'Donnell, to hastily re-obtain authorization for the mission and rebook their canceled tickets on aSwissair flight. Tensions rise at the airport, where the escapees' new ticket reservations are belatedly confirmed, and the head guard's call to the fake Hollywood production company is answered only at the last second. The escapees board the plane as airport authorities are alerted to the ruse, but fail to stop the plane from taking off.
U.S. involvement in the rescue is suppressed to protect the remaining hostages from retaliation, and full credit is given to the Canadian government. Taylor shuts down the embassy and leaves Iran with his wife while their Iranian housekeeper escapes toIraq. Mendez is awarded theIntelligence Star, secretly due to the mission's classified nature, and returns to his wife and son inVirginia.
A textual epilogue reveals that the remaining hostages were released after 444 days in captivity; Chambers, who received the Intelligence Medal of Merit, remained friends with Mendez until his death; and Mendez, whose Intelligence Star was returned to him afterBill Clinton declassified theCanadian Caper in 1997, lives with his family in rural Maryland.
In 2007, producersBen Affleck,George Clooney,Grant Heslov andDavid Klawans set up a project based on the article. Affleck's participation was announced in February 2011.[7] The following June, Alan Arkin was the first person cast in the film.[8]
After the rest of the roles were cast, filming began inLos Angeles[9] in August 2011. Additional filming took place inMcLean, Virginia;Washington, D.C.; andIstanbul.[10] The scene in which Mendez drives up to and walks into the CIA headquarters lobby was filmed with permission at the CIA's original headquarters building in Virginia; all other scenes set at the CIA were filmed in the basement of theLos Angeles Times Building.[11]
The screenplay used by the CIA to create their cover story was an adaptation ofRoger Zelazny's 1967 novelLord of Light. Producer Barry Geller had spearheaded an earlier attempt to produce the film using the original title. After that production attempt failed, the screenplay was renamedArgo and used by the CIA.[5][14]
According to Tony Mendez, Studio Six — the phony Hollywood production office he helped create at the core of the CIA plan — proved so convincing that even weeks after the rescue was complete and the office had folded, 26 scripts were delivered to its address, including one fromSteven Spielberg.[15]
In April 2016, research byVice, based on documents received under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that the CIA's public relations arm was involved in the production of the 2012Argo,[16][17] just as it provided information to a number of other American entertainment productions (such as the well-established case of the 2012 filmZero Dark Thirty[18]).
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 96% of 360 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Tense, exciting, and often darkly comic,Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters."[19]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.[21]
NamingArgo one of the best 11 films of 2012, criticStephen Holden ofThe New York Times wrote: "Ben Affleck's seamless direction catapults him to the forefront of Hollywood filmmakers turning out thoughtful entertainment."[22]The Washington Times said it felt "like a movie from an earlier era — less frenetic, less showy, more focused on narrative than sensation," but that the script included "too many characters that he doesn't quite develop."[23]
The craft in this film is rare. It is so easy to manufacture a thriller from chases and gunfire, and so very hard to fine-tune it out of exquisite timing and a plot that's so clear to us we wonder why it isn't obvious to the Iranians. After all, who in their right mind would believe a space opera was being filmed in Iran during the hostage crisis?[24]
Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "spellbinding" and "surprisingly funny", and chose it as the best film of the year, the last film he would choose for this honor before his death in 2013.[24] He also correctly predicted that it would win the Academy Award for Best Picture, following its presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival.[25]
Literary criticStanley Fish wrote that the film is a standardcaper film in which "some improbable task has to be pulled off by a combination of ingenuity, training, deception and luck." He goes on to describe the film's structure: "(1) the presentation of the scheme to reluctant and unimaginative superiors, (2) the transformation of a ragtag bunch of ne'er-do-wells and wackos into a coherent, coordinated unit and (3) the carrying out of the task."[26] Although he acknowledged the film is good at building and sustaining suspense, he concluded that:
This is one of those movies that depend on your not thinking much about it; for as soon as you reflect on what's happening rather than being swept up in the narrative flow, there doesn't seem much to it aside from the skill with which suspense is maintained despite the fact that you know in advance how it's going to turn out. ... Once the deed is successfully done, there's really nothing much to say, and anything that is said seems contrived. That is the virtue of an entertainment like this; it doesn't linger in the memory and provoke afterthoughts.[26]
In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 244.[27]
Abolhassan Banisadr, foreign minister and then president during the incident, argued that the movie does not take into account the fact that most ofthe cabinet members advocated freeing all the American personnel quickly.[28]Jian Ghomeshi, a Canadian writer and radio figure of Iranian descent, thought the film had a "deeply troubling portrayal of the Iranian people." Ghomeshi asserted "among all the rave reviews, virtually no one in the mainstream media has called out [the] unbalanced depiction of an entire ethnic national group, and the broader implications of the portrait." He also suggested that the timing of the film was poor, as American and Iranian political relations were at a low point.[29] University of Michigan history professorJuan Cole had a similar assessment, writing that the film's narrative fails to provide adequate historical context for the events it portrays, and such errors of omission lead all of the Iranian characters in the film to be depicted as ethnic stereotypes.[30]
A November 3, 2012 article in theLos Angeles Times claimed that the film had received very little attention in Tehran, thoughMasoumeh Ebtekar, who was the spokesperson of the students who took the hostages and called only "Tehran Mary" in the film's credits, said that the film did not show "the real reasons behind the event".[31] The film also ignores the importance of the date of the Embassy takeover. Mark Bowden, in his book on the subject, noted that November 4 was recognized as National Students' Day to acknowledge the student protesters killed by the Shah's police the year before. He also pointed out that this was the same date that theAyatollah Khomeini had been exiled 15 years before.[32]
Bootleg DVDs have become popular and are estimated at "several hundreds of thousands" of copies. Interpretations of the film's popularity in Iran have varied, ranging from the fact that the movie portrays the excesses of the revolution and the hostage crisis, which had been long glorified in Iran, to Iranians viewing it as a reminder of what caused the poor relations with America and the ensuing cost to Iran, decades after the embassy takeover.[33][34]
Argo earned $136 million in the United States, and $96.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $232.3 million.[3]
The film debuted in second place with $19.5 million, then made $16.4 million in its sophomore weekend. In its third weekend the film made $12.1 million, finishing in first place.[35]
Standing in the Golden Globe pressroom with his directing trophy, Affleck acknowledged that it was frustrating not to get an Oscar nod when many felt he deserved one. But he's keeping a sense of humor. "I mean, I also didn't get the acting nomination," he pointed out. "And no one's saying I got snubbed there!"[40]
After the film was previewed at the2012 Toronto International Film Festival,[41] many critics said that it unfairly glorified the CIA's role and minimized theCanadian government's role (particularly that of Ambassador Taylor) in the extraction operation.[42]Maclean's asserted that "the movie rewrites history at Canada's expense, making Hollywood and the CIA the saga's heroic saviours while Taylor is demoted to a kindly concierge."[43]
The postscript text said that the CIA let Taylor take the credit for political purposes, which some critics thought implied that he did not deserve the accolades he received.[44] In response to this criticism, Affleck changed the postscript text to read: "The involvement of the CIA complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy to free the six held in Tehran. To this day the story stands as an enduring model of international co-operation between governments."[45] TheToronto Star wrote, "Even that hardly does Canada justice."[46]
People welcoming the six American diplomats back to the United States and expressing thanks to Canada, 1980
In a CNN interview, former U.S. presidentJimmy Carter addressed the controversy:
90% of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian. And the movie gives almost full credit to the American CIA. And with that exception, the movie is very good. But Ben Affleck's character in the film was... only in Tehran a day and a half. And the main hero, in my opinion, wasKen Taylor, who was the Canadian ambassador who orchestrated the entire process.[47]
Taylor noted, "In reality, Canada was responsible for the six and the CIA was a junior partner. But I realize this is a movie and you have to keep the audience on the edge of their seats."[45] In the film, Taylor is shown as having been ordered to close down the Canadian embassy. This did not happen, and the Canadians never considered abandoning the six Americans who had taken refuge under their protection.[45]
Affleck asserted:
Because we say it's based on a true story, rather than this is a true story, we're allowed to take some dramatic license. There's a spirit of truth .... the kinds of things that are really important to be true are—for example, the relationship between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. stood up collectively as a nation and said, "We like you, we appreciate you, we respect you, and we're in your debt."... There were folks who didn't want to stick their necks out and the Canadians did. They said, "We'll risk our diplomatic standing, our lives, by harboring six Americans because it's the right thing to do." Because of that, their lives were saved."[43]
After his death,The Washington Post described Taylor as the "main hero" of the Iran hostage escape, quoting former presidentJimmy Carter in doing so. In 1981, Taylor was presented with theCongressional Gold Medal by PresidentRonald Reagan.[48] Nonetheless, the significance of his role was downplayed in the film.[49]
Upon its release in October 2012, the film was criticized for its suggestion thatBritish andNew Zealand embassies had turned away the American diplomats in Tehran. In fact both embassies, together with the Canadians, helped the Americans. The British had initially hosted the American diplomats; however, the location was deemed unsafe as the British embassy itself had been targeted and surrounded by mobs and all involved officials from the various nations believed the Canadian ambassador's residence to be a safer location.
New Zealand diplomats organized a place for the diplomats to hide if they needed to change their location,[50] and drove the Americans to the airport when they made their escape from Tehran.[51] British diplomats also assisted other American hostages beyond the escaped group of six.[52] Bob Anders, the U.S. consular agent played in the film byTate Donovan, said, "They put their lives on the line for us. We were all at risk. I hope no one in Britain will be offended by what's said in the film. The British were good to us and we're forever grateful."[52]
My immediate reaction on hearing about this was one of outrage. I have since simmered down, but am still very distressed that the film-makers should have got it so wrong. My concern is that the inaccurate account should not enter the mythology of the events in Tehran in November 1979."[52]
The then-Britishchargé d'affaires in Tehran said that, had the Americans been discovered in the British embassy, "I can assure you we'd all have been for the high jump."[52] British diplomatsMartin Williams, secretary to Sir John Graham in Iran at the time—searching for them in his own British car (the onlyAustin Maxi in Iran)—and Gordon Pirie—following in the embassy's Land Rover—found the Americans and first sheltered them in Williams' house.[53]
Affleck is quoted as saying toThe Sunday Telegraph: "I struggled with this long and hard, because it casts Britain and New Zealand in a way that is not totally fair. But I was setting up a situation where you needed to get a sense that these six people had nowhere else to go. It does not mean to diminish anyone."[52]On March 12, 2013, theNew Zealand House of Representatives censured Affleck by unanimously agreeing to the following motion, initiated byNew Zealand First leaderWinston Peters:
... this House acknowledge[s] with gratitude the efforts of former New Zealand diplomatsChris Beeby and Richard Sewell in assisting American hostages in Tehran during the hostage crisis in 1979, and express[es] its regret that the director of the movie Argosaw fit to mislead the world about what actually happened during that crisis when, in reality, our courageous diplomats' inspirational actions were of significant help to the American hostages and deserve the factual and historical record to be corrected.[54][55]
In the film, the diplomats face suspicious glances from Iranians whenever they go out in public, and appear close to being caught at many steps along the way to their freedom. In reality, the diplomats never appeared to be in imminent danger.[43][45][56] Taylor's wife bought three sets of plane tickets from three different airlines ahead of time, without any issues.[43][45]
The film depicts a dramatic last-minute cancellation of the mission by the Carter administration and Mendez declaring he will proceed with the mission. Carter delayed authorization by only 30 minutes, and that was before Mendez had left Europe for Iran.[57]
The film portrays a tense situation when the crew tries to board the plane, and their identities are nearly discovered. No such confrontation with security officials took place at the departure gate.[57][58]
The film has a dramatic chase sequence as the plane takes off; this did not occur.[59] As Mark Lijek described it, "Fortunately for us, there were very few Revolutionary Guards in the area. It is why we turned up for a flight at 5.30 in the morning; even they weren't zealous enough to be there that early. The truth is the immigration officers barely looked at us and we were processed out in the regular way. We got on the flight to Zurich and then we were taken to the US ambassador's residence in Bern. It was that straightforward."[56]
The screenplay does not include the six days Bob Anders, Mark and Cora Lijek and Joe and Kathy Stafford were on the run before taking refuge with the Canadians nor where Lee Schatz was until he joined the group at John and Zena Sheardown's home.
The screenplay has the escapees—Mark and Cora Lijek, Bob Anders, Lee Schatz, and Joe and Kathy Stafford—settling down to enforced cohabitation at the residence of the Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor. In reality, the group of five (Lee Schatz joined the Lijeks and Bob Anders about ten days later) was split between the Taylor house and the home of another Canadian official,John Sheardown and his wifeZena.[56][60] It was in fact the friendship between Bob Anders and John Sheardown that led Bob to call John to seek sanctuary for the group when the haven with Thai cook Sam (Somchai) began to unravel. John's response to Bob was, "Why didn't you call sooner?"
"It's not true we could never go outside. John Sheardown's house had an interior courtyard with a garden and we could walk there freely," Mark Lijek says.[56]
Lester Siegel, played byAlan Arkin, is not a real person. His name and some contribution are based on Robert Sidell while his personality is based on that ofJack Warner.[61]Concept art for Lord of Light by Jack Kirby
In the depiction of a frantic effort by CIA headquarters, in Langley, to get President Jimmy Carter to re-authorize the mission so that previously purchased airline tickets would still be valid, a CIA officer is portrayed as getting theWhite House telephone operator to connect him to Chief of StaffHamilton Jordan by impersonating a representative of the school attended by Jordan's children. In reality, Jordan was unmarried and had no children at the time.[62]
The film depicts Mendez discovering the script with the title ofArgo. In reality the script was titledLord of Light, based on thebook of the same name byRoger Zelazny. The CIA changed the title toArgo.[5][63]
Comic book artistJack Kirby did not do storyboard work for the fabricated CIA film production. Kirby createdconcept art for a proposed production ofLord of Light a few years before the Iranian hostage situation.[5][63]
TheHollywood Sign is shown dilapidated as it had been in the 1970s. The sign had been repaired in 1978, two years before the events described in the film.[64]
TheSwissair flight that took Mendez and the hostage group out of Tehran is shown operated with aBoeing 747-300, a type which entered service in 1983, and is painted in a livery that Swissair introduced in 1980. In real life, the group departed Iran on a SwissairDouglas DC-8 coincidentally named "Aargau".[65][66]
^Jennifer Vineyard (October 10, 2012)."Ben Affleck on Why He Got to Look Hot in Argo".Vulture. Vox Media, LLC.Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. RetrievedApril 11, 2023.Affleck: "I haven't done a movie that I haven't ripped off from another one! [Laughs.] This movie, we ripped off All the President's Men, for the CIA stuff, a John Cassavetes movie called The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, which we really used as a reference for the California stuff, and then there was kind of a Battle of Algiers, Z/Missing/Costa-Gavras soup of movies, that we used for the rest of it."
^"Ken Taylor, the 'main hero' of Iran hostage escape, dies at 81".The Washington Post. October 16, 2015.Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 4, 2021.In addition to shielding the Americans from Iranian capture, Taylor also played a crucial role in plotting their escape ... Taylor obtained for the Americans six Canadian passports containing forged Iranian visas that ultimately allowed them to board a flight to Switzerland. He undertook all these covert actions at a high personal risk ... Taylor's contributions were widely recognized upon the Americans' safe return in 1980. He was inducted into the Order of Canada, awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal
^Yukon Damov (November 16, 2012)."Diplomats in Iranian hostage crisis discuss Argo: Spoiler alert: Hollywood fudged the facts".The Newspaper. Archived fromthe original on February 15, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2016.Wednesday night's conversation between former diplomats Robert Anders and Michael Shenstone, hosted by the U.S. Consulate and the University of Toronto International Relations Society, was an exercise in displaying Hollywood's manipulation of historical reality.
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