"Argylle" - Film Review
Argylle finds successful spy novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) in the midst of a writer’s block, even though she has written four novels about James Bond-esque super spy Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill). He’s suave, cool, and never breaks a sweat, even as he finds out he can no longer trust anyone. It’s the cliffhanger that causes Elly to find herself stuck. She seeks guidance from her cat, Alfie, but he proves less than helpful. Elly’s mom (Catherine O’Hara) offers to help brainstorm, so Elly hops on a train with Alfie in tow. It’s on this journey where she meets real-life spy Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who tells her that her life is in danger. Elly’s novels have somehow managed to predict geopolitical events and real spy activities. A secret organization wants to kidnap Elly and force her to write the next chapter. Aidan is her only chance at survival.
courtesy of Apple TV+
Director Matthew Vaughn is most known for Kingsman: The Secret Service. It’s a slick, stylistic spy flick that spurred a sequel and a prequel, although neither reached the same heights as the first movie. The same can be said for Argylle. Vaughn’s latest is torn between being a romantic adventure comedy and a twist-turny spy caper. What made Kingsman come alive were the action sequences, the sharply written dialogue, and the use of music to elevate the fight scenes. Argylle is trying to capture that same lightning-in-a-bottle essence, but it’s missing the almost manic sensibility.
The Argylle trailer claims that the film comes from the “twisted mind” of Vaughn, but it’s fairly reserved. After the Kingsman scene of Colin Firth fighting an entire church set to “Free Bird,” the bar is quite high. Argylle tries to create some of that magic again with a ballet and ice-skating fight scene for the climax, but it comes across very stilted. It’s as though someone is trying to replicate the thrill of Vaughn’s previous works without fully understanding how to go about doing that. It’s not just the fight sequences either. There’s a distinct lack of chemistry among the characters. The script doesn’t offer anything interesting for Elly and Aidan to banter playfully about other than Alfie the cat and Aidan’s allergies. Even then, both are quickly forgotten when they don’t service the plot. It’s their central relationship that the film hinges on, but there’s no spark between them to keep Argylle on the rails.
courtesy of apple TV+
What goodwill Argylle does manage to garner in the beginning is fully undone by all the twists the film throws at the audience. The main one was actually spoiled years ago when the movie was initially announced, and another is revealed in the trailer. Fear not, more (fairly obvious) twists are sprinkled throughout, and Vaughn tosses out one in the final scene and a very last one mid-credits. By the end of Argylle, the audience is left feeling as though the movie was made by someone attempting to emulate the style of Kingsman or John Wick, but never fully committing. There’s also an undercurrent of romance that grows as the film progresses, but it seems that Argylle doesn’t want to lean into an action romance. What a shame that ends up being for the film.
Tonally, Argylle cannot find its groove. It falters as it desperately tries to one-up itself with a new twist every few minutes. This is not a plea for simplicity, but to streamline the plot so that Argylle could have been wackier, stranger, and goofier. There are glimpses of that version, but the cat came a little too far out of the bag.
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, and YouTube.