Argylle sees Matthew Vaughn return with another silly, over-the-top spy movie. Mercifully, it’s not the Kingsman characters for once and a brand new story for the Kick-Ass filmmaker (Well, kind of). The film has a lot of derivative qualities, but for the most part, Argylle excels in its enjoyable casting and sequences, which are willing to go for broke in their insanity.
It’s hard for this reviewer to fault a movie willing to play with genre stereotypes, bend them, break them, and play with them like a child playing with its food. Furthermore, Bryce Dallas Howard has never been better than she is in Argylle.
What is Argylle about?
The film centers on Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), an accomplished author who writes iconic spy novels in the vein of Ian Fleming with James Bond or John le Carré. When we first meet Elly, the movie cuts in and out of reality as she reads an excerpt from one of her Argylle novels. In literature, Argylle is an atypical agent portrayed by Henry Cavill. Argylle’s partner Wyatt is an ultra-musclebound behemoth named Wyatt (John Cena) who, at one point, manages to grab someone off a motorcycle while it’s moving.
But Elly’s life is simpler than the Argylle novels. She mostly sits at home with her cat Alfie, calls her mother (Catherine O’Hara) like typical daughters do, and writes about a dreamy espionage spy as a means of living. For the most part, Elly’s world remains incredibly boring until she takes a train and encounters an unkempt man. She briefly gets to know the man named Aidan (Sam Rockwell) before an all-out fight overruns the train. Aidan coincidentally is a spy and is there to protect Elly from enemies upset about the Argylle novels.
Argylle is a disco frenzy spy flick
The film then spirals into Matthew Vaughn’s madness, with stylish fights set to the most bonkers needle drops imaginable. Some music has a disco theme, and others are unconventional pop ballads. For example, one sequence has an over-the-top colorful throwdown to the romantic sounds of Leona Lewis’s Run.
This is expected for a Vaughn-directed action flick. He is one of the few directors who can execute needle drops on a scale like James Gunn, and all of them are pretty hysterical in Argylle. That said, the film has some glaring issues narratively.
Jason Fuchs’ script is like a smothering parent
Argylle’s screenplay (written by Wonder Woman writer Jason Fuchs) feels like a parent or friend trying to do too much. Imagine visiting a mother or father, and while staying, they cook breakfast. Then they become smothering to an extreme. They wash your clothes in secret; they want to wipe food off your face; they want to match you with the neighbor’s daughter or son. When all one wanted was a lovely, simple visit home and maybe some home cooking as a bonus.
Argylle is the smothering parent. The film is almost 2 1/2 hours long, and this could have been told in a flat 2 hours or less. Every twenty minutes, there is a twist– and sometimes, there is a twist within a twist. Additionally, a post-credits scene offers another twist, and even that offering was unneeded. It’s a screenplay trying to do too much instead of finding brilliance in simplicity. Just like a parent, the intentions are good in the creative choices, but one might feel the need to tell Matthew Vaughn, “Just let me fold my own damn laundry.” Smothering qualities aside, the movie is better than some reviewers are suggesting.
Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard elevate Argylle
Argylle works because the cast makes the insanity work. Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell have amazing chemistry throughout Argylle. Both of them, as performers, are incredibly comfortable in their skin, executing hilarious dialogue and physical humor. More than anyone, Howard deserves recognition here for taking so many chances. This role would have gone to Dua Lipa for a basic action film. But here, it’s a fun wink at the audience having Lipa as the misdirect and Howard in the action Bond girl role, and it is refreshing to see her have that chance.
Furthermore, as overstuffed as the film can be at times, it has a messiness that feels incredibly fun in its execution. In a sense, Argylle feels like a group of kids playing with their food and then randomly igniting a food fight. One will walk out covered in ketchup, mashed potatoes, and other mysterious ingredients from the questionable school cafeteria. But what an experience.
Final thoughts on Argylle
Argylle is similar to a Jackson Pollock painting. It’s overwhelmingly chaotic and messy. It’s colorful and unorchestrated, and on the surface, it seems ridiculous in execution. Yet, there is a charm to its splattery nature. There’s nothing new here; the core concepts have been done a million times before. But Argylle is an undeniably fun movie. Just be sure and avoid the pointless post-credits scene.
Argylle is now playing in theaters.
Are you excited for the movie Argylle? Do you have theories about who the real Agent Argylle is? Connect with us on social media at X @MoviesWeTexted to share your thoughts.
Learn more about the film, including how to buy tickets, at the title’s official website.
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