Mini-Movie Outline of: ARGO

Transcription

1 Mini-Movie Outline of: ARGO Created by Chris Soth Screenplay by Chris Terrio. Based on a selection from "The Master of Disguise" by Tony Mendez and based on the Wired Magazine article "The Great Escape" by Joshuah Bearman Starring Ben Affleck, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston Best Picture Oscar Winner of 2012, Argo is a tightly crafted, tension-filled thriller based on actual events surround the Iran hostage crisis of the 1970s. Movie Logline: A CIA Operative fakes a movie shoot as cover to smuggle 6 trapped Americans out of Iran after the fall of the Shah. Movie Tension: Hope -- that Tony Mendez will escape with his charges Fear: They will die in the attempt AND expose other US intelligence interests MM #1: IRAN FALLS Mini-Logline: As Iran falls, six embassy workers hide out and come to the attention of the State Dept. and CIA. After a prologue about the Shah, his fall and escape to the US, we see rioting outside the US Embassy in Teheran. Diplomats shred and burn all records, No police nor army are coming to save them..."no one is coming". The embassy is breached by the mob. A group of SIX DIPLOMAT/EMBASSY WORKERS agree to sneak out the back. The front door is breached and the rest of the embassy is taken hostage. As the furnace gives out, they turn to a shredder..."it's one, they're in. Mini Movie Outline: ARGO Page 1 of 5

2 Word gets back to the CIA there are 6 on the street. 14 mts. Tony Mendez gets the call -- and is briefed by the Bryan Cranston character. They re called to the adventure of saving these Americans. MM #2: GATHERING THE TEAM Tony and his supervisor (Bryan Cranston) are briefed by State Dept., all State's plans look terrible. Meanwhile, the Americans are "houseguests" at the Canadian embassy. Watching TV with his son, Tony gets his idea for a movie location scout as cover for the extraction. Tony is approved to for a trip to LA. He calls John Chambers (Goodman) under a cover identity. He recruits Chambers and Alan Arkin, plaing a producer. "We're gonna need a script", minute 30. MM #3: MAKING THE PLAN WORK Meanwhile, the help at the Canadian embassy is starting to suspect......tony Mendez finds the screenplay "Argo" -- He and Arkin option the script. Cranston calls and say they're picking a plan in 72 hours. Mendez worries the plan's not convincing. They come up with the idea...for an allstar costumed reading of the script with a lot of press. The Mini-Movie finishes with intercutting between Iranian Demands on TV/the houseguests and a fake terrorist execution to intimidate the hostages left at the US embassy and an actual 60 minutes interview with the Ayatollah, all of them finishing same time. Tony is told: "The US government has just sanctioned your science fiction movie." He, John Chamber and Alan Arkin toast Argo fuck yourself. Mini Movie Outline: ARGO Page 2 of 5

3 MM #4: Getting to Iran Tony takes off wedding ring to go to work, CIA will not claim him if he fails, and he'll be killed if caught. He mails his kid a postcard and flies off to the Middle East, Turkey his first stop, he s posing as a Canadian. The "houseguests" get restless and regretful. They see someone executed out the back window of the house. Tony arrives in Turkey and meets a British Operative who give him a cover identity, under which Tony applies for an Iranian visa. CIA gets word the press knows the houseguests are with the Canadians. Ben arrives in Iran. Lester awaits in Ca. Ben meets the Canadian Ambassador, receives blank passports to prep covers for each of his charges. Tony meets the "houseguests" and gives them their cover identities. They resist the cover -- Tony admits it's a first -- Houseguests realize..."it's time to go"...there's no turning back. BUT...the Iranians APPROVE the nearby location scout...they'll have to bluff with their identities...this just got harder and the Iranians may be on to them. MM #5: IT S ALL OFF! The plan WAS to take the identities, pretend they d done an actual location scout and leave. Now they ll have to really scout the Iraninan market. The houseguests prepare, nervous....tony confesses his real name to the most reluctant couple. Promises if they pull off this masquerade, he will get them out the next day. They head out, run into PROTESTORS who pound on their car. They tour the market. The SAVAK is watching. And back at home, the Iranian housekeeper who s suspicious of the houseguest is being questioned... When Tony returns, Bryan Cranston tells him the operation is off, because a military rescue of hostages in the embassy is on. They can't Mini Movie Outline: ARGO Page 3 of 5

4 take the houseguests out now or it will risk that operation...but Mendez has promised he'll get them out. MM #6: THEY VE GOT PHOTOS! A SAVAK agent has surveillance photos from the market and is looking for missing "houseguests". He also has people assembling shredded IDs from the embassy. Tony is despondent...he calls Cranston, and insists he will take the houseguests thru the airport. They'll need President Carter to authorize the operation and plane tickets back in US. The tickets are confirmed WHILE Tony is in line at the Teheran airport. Meanwhile, one of the photos is completed for The Savak Agent -- he realizes it's one of the people from the market the pictures match. Tony and company are held up boarding the plane and LA office has been shut down an ARMED GUARD says -- "you don't go until we verify" But the LA office of their operation has been closed. The only way to verify. All seems lost. MM #7: THE OP S BACK ON The flight Tony wants to get his gang on calls final boarding. The Iranian airport guard CALLS Hollywood -- John Goodman picks up just in time -- The SAVAK breaks into the Canadian Ambassador's house as Tony and company get the word they can board plane. A call comes to airport to stop them The Guard swings into action -- they try to chase the plane down right on the runway -- Wheels up, the plane just makes it. The housekeeper flees to Iraq. Mini Movie Outline: ARGO Page 4 of 5

5 The most scared of the houseguest shakes Mendez' hand on the plane. MM #8: SUCCESS WILL BE OUR SECRET But the CIA will have to deny any involvement. Canada gets all the credit. Tony will get The Intelligence Star, but no one can know. John Chambers says to another producer, "Argo" is in turnaround. Tony goes home to see his son, Ian. His wife embraces him...perhaps as if she knows how those hostages got home. Tony has learned to be more truthful, with his job, and his family. Mini Movie Outline: ARGO Page 5 of 5