Argo Page #15

220 INT. TEHRAN BAZAAR - DAY 220

The CROWD heckles the Houseguests as they walk toward the

exit.

221 INT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - FOYER - DAY 221

Sahar calmly closes the door.

After she does, she lets the facade go. All of a sudden

scared. Maybe she tears up. Either way, it.’s clear she

knows the stakes of the game she is playing.

222 INT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - AFTERNOON 222

The aftermath. The Houseguests, badly shaken, come

inside. Each dealing with shock and adrenaline.

Ken Taylor comes up next to Mendez and, for once,

Taylor.’s ambassadorial calm is breaking.

TAYLOR:

They drew you out there to take *

your picture.

MENDEZ:

Nobody broke. *

At the door to the residence, Tony can see Pat Taylor,

holding Sahar.’s hand, both looking spooked as the

Houseguests come inside.

TAYLOR:

(sobered now)

And tomorrow? *

A beat on Mendez, who stamps out his cigarette and

follows.

MENDEZ *

Tomorrow they.’ll be ready. *

We start to hear the sound of the evening.’s call to

prayer, amplified over a megaphone, in the distance.

Then --

223-224 OMITTED 223-224

ARGO - Final 86.

224A MONTAGE - EXT. TEHRAN - DUSK 224A

The call to prayer echoing as night falls in Tehran. In

an alley where cloaked women hurry past posters of

Khomeini. On a street where a five-year-old boy, in the

care of his eight-year-old brother, watches a pickup

truck of armed komiteh speed past.

224B INT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - NIGHT 224B

Mendez holds a passport and some papers in front of Bob

Anders.’ face. It feels late. The Houseguests are tired,

sweating, sitting around a dining room. Mendez, sleeves

rolled up, drilling them. The ARGO STORYBOARDS are

scattered around the room.

MENDEZ:

Where was your passport issued?

Bob Anders doesn.’t know. ANGLES ON the Houseguests.

ANDERS:

Vancouver.

MENDEZ:

Where were you born?

BOB ANDERS:

Toronto.

MENDEZ:

Toronno like piranha. Canadians

don.’t pronounce the T.

LEE SCHATZ:

Some border guard.’s gonna know

that?

MENDEZ:

If you.’re held for questioning,

they.’ll bring in somebody who

knows that.

MENDEZ:

(to Cora Lijek)

Last three Canadian prime

minsters.

CORA LIJEK:

(an A student)

Trudeau, Pearson, Diefenbaker.

ARGO - Final 87.

(CONTINUED)

MENDEZ:

Good.

(to Joe Stafford)

Your job on the film.

JOE STAFFORD:

Producer.

MENDEZ:

Associate Producer. What.’s the

name of the last film you worked

on?

JOE STAFFORD:

Uh... High and Dry.

MENDEZ:

Who paid for the movie?

JOE STAFFORD:

C.F.D.C.

MENDEZ:

What.’s your middle name?

Joe Stafford is silent. He looks down to consult the

paper in front of him, but before he can, Mendez pulls

the paper.

MENDEZ:

He.’s an American spy. Shoot him.

A beat on Stafford, frustrated --

MENDEZ:

They.’ll try to break you by

getting you agitated. You need to

know your r.sum. so well that you

don.’t flinch.

JOE STAFFORD:

(nearly defeated,

looking away)

You think your little story will

matter when there.’s guns to our

heads?

MENDEZ:

My story.’s the only thing between

you and the gun to your head.

A beat. Mendez puts the r.sum. back in front of

Stafford. Kathy looks at her husband: he just isn.’t

good at this.

ARGO - Final 88.

224B CONTINUED:
224B

(CONTINUED)

MENDEZ:

Let.’s go again.

224C INT. CIA - THE PIT - AFTERNOON 224C

O.’Donnell, walking toward his office. It.’s the first

time today Malinov has seen him.

MALINOV:

(good news)

They made it through the location

scout.

O.’Donnell ignores him. He goes straight to his office.

Looking like he.’s seen a ghost.

224D EXT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - VERANDA - NIGHT 224D

Mendez, finishing a cigarette outside. We might hear the

distant sound of a phone ringing.

Ken Taylor emerges. Waits a beat.

TAYLOR:

Kevin.

224E INT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - KEN TAYLOR.’S 224E

OFFICE - CROSS-CUTTING - NIGHT

Mendez picks up the complicated-looking satellite phone

in Ken Taylor.’s home office. As soon as he does --

O.’DONNELL

Go to black on green.

Jack.’s calling him here, so he knows something.’s wrong.

MENDEZ:

What is it?

O.’DONNELL

Go to black on green.

Mendez turns knobs on the satellite phone.

224F INT. O.’DONNELL.’S OFFICE - CROSS-CUTTING - AFTERNOON 224F

We see Jack is on a GREEN PHONE.

ARGO - Final 89.

224B CONTINUED:
(2) 224B

(CONTINUED)

O.’DONNELL

It all just changed. They called

the game. You.’ve got to come

back.

ON Mendez, not believing what he.’s hearing.

O.’DONNELL

(quiet, fast, clear)

Joint Chiefs are planning a

military rescue of the hostages in

a month. Delta Force started

training to storm the grounds. So

if the six of them get brought

down there, they won.’t be held for

long.

MENDEZ:

I never would have exposed them if

I wasn.’t authorized to take them

out.

O.’DONNELL

It.’s over, Tony.

MENDEZ:

They will be taken. Probably not

ALIVE --

O.’DONNELL

LISTEN TO ME. The thinking.’s

changed. Six Americans get pulled

out of a Canadian diplomat.’s house

and executed, it.’s another world

outrage. Six Americans get caught

playing movie make-believe with

the CIA at the airport and

executed, it.’s a national

embarrassment. They.’re calling

the operation.

MENDEZ:

We.’re responsible for those

people.

O.’DONNELL

(genuinely sad)

What we are is required to follow

orders. I.’m sorry.

Mendez hangs up. O.’Donnell sits listening to the dial

tone for a moment, then puts the phone on the receiver.

ARGO - Final 90.

224F CONTINUED:
224F

(CONTINUED)

Then, very suddenly, he looks at an old coffee cup near

him and backhands it off his desk.

TIME CUT TO:

224G INT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - KEN TAYLOR.’S 224G

OFFICE - NIGHT

Maybe only a minute, maybe ten or more have passed.

Mendez sits at Taylor.’s desk, numb. Cora Lijek knocks

but doesn.’t get a response. She tentatively opens the

door and sticks her head inside.

CORA LIJEK:

We.’re ready to try again.

MENDEZ:

(after a beat)

I think the most important thing *

you can do to be ready for

tomorrow is rest.

TIME CUT TO:

225 INT. CANADIAN AMBASSADOR.’S RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - 225

NIGHT:

Now the mood among the Houseguests is lighter. Bob

Anders, a handful of liquor bottles in his arms, puts

them down on a table. Music plays on a record player.

BOB ANDERS:

Scorched earth policy tonight.

Nothing gets left.

Taylor comes in, drink in hand, thoughts heavy, looks at

Tony.

MENDEZ:

So you know. *

TAYLOR:

(nods)

ExtAff wants you to burn the

passports before you leave.

Mendez looks at the Houseguests, setting the table.

TAYLOR:

If we tell them, they.’ll panic.

It.’s better if you just don.’t

show.

(a beat)

ARGO - Final 91.

224F CONTINUED:
(2) 224F

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

It was always a f***ed mission.

You came closer than anybody else.

Kathy and Cora are cracking each other up.

No one sees Mendez take a bottle of Macallan from the

table and put it in his bag.

226 INT. CAR - NIGHT 226

Mendez drives through nighttime Tehran, back to the

hotel.

There is a dangling TOTEM from the rearview mirror. It

reflects light.

He passes a VAN ON FIRE.

227 OMITTED 227

228 INT. SHERATON ROOM - NIGHT 228

Mendez takes the bottle of Macallan from his bag. He

takes a drink, then drinks more. *

229 OMITTED 229 *

230 INT. ARGO PRODUCTION OFFICE - DAY 230

Chambers, listening on a phone, shakes his head at

Siegel. He hangs up.

CHAMBERS:

It.’s off. They want us to pack up

the office.

A beat on Lester. He.’s devastated but he.’s not showing *

it. *

SIEGEL *

They can wait. Let.’s go get a *

drink. *

231 EXT. TEHRAN - DAWN 231

The city waking up.

ARGO - Final 92.

225 CONTINUED:
225

TAYLOR (CONT'D)

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