While the film is "based on a true story," it takes significant dramatic licenses: Argo (2012) - Plot - IMDb

On 4 November 1979, militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. However, six staff members managed to escape and found refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor.

Realizing the six would eventually be caught and executed, Mendez collaborated with Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to create a "paper trail" for the fake movie—including ads in Variety and a formal press launch—to convince Iranian authorities that the group was merely a Canadian film crew. Cast and Key Performances

as Lester Siegel (a composite character who provides much of the film’s "darkly comic" relief) John Goodman as John Chambers Critical Reception and Awards

Reviewers from sites like Rotten Tomatoes (96% score) and Metacritic (86/100) hailed it as a "tense, exciting, and finely wrought" thriller. Legendary critic Roger Ebert gave it four stars, calling it the best film of the year. Fact vs. Fiction