There have been plenty of espionage spy thrillers in the last few years, but they tend to focus on the more serious side of things, from 2022s The Stranger, 2023s Marlowe, and the past few year’s barrage of John Wicks and Mission Impossibles. Seldom do we see a lighter, more fantastic take on the genre. Thankfully, that is what Argylle is here to do. This comedic take on the genre is nothing new from director Matthew Vaugh, who also directed all three Kingsmen movies.
Argylle sees reclusive best-selling writer Elly Conway, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, working on her new novel in the Argylle series. What Elly doesn’t know is that the books she has written have all secretly taken place, and her latest book is happening as she writes it. This leads to the evil spy organization led by the Directorate (Bryan Cranston) on a mission to hunt Elly down.
Meanwhile, a rogue operative, Aiden (Sam Rockwell), attempts to intercept Elly and protect her while helping her write the next chapter of her book to help track down the “Silver Bullet” that will take down the evil spy organization and the Directorate once and for all.
It’s an interesting idea and a unique concept that I wasn’t sure they could pull off, but surprisingly, it managed to keep me engaged even if there were a few odd CGI choices made from the beginning. This includes Henry Cavill, who plays the fictional Argylle in Elly’s books, driving over buildings, but the CGI is incredibly noticeable and seems like it was straight out of the early 2000s.
“When it comes to performances, Argylle has an outstanding cast.”
This can also be said for ninety percent of the shots with Alfie the cat in it. Most of the time, when we see the cat that has been the main focus of all the marketing, it is in its bag and rendered poorly. Even when interacting with Aiden and Elly, it is mainly done through the use of CGI, and it stands out like a sore thumb.
What surprised me most was the amount of twists. While not all of them hit, in fact, some of them are a little disappointing in how each they were to predict. But, most of the big twists hit in a funny way that shows how much they leaned into the cheesyness of spy thrillers.
There are a lot of positive things about Argylle. In fact, I enjoyed myself a lot despite its weird CGI choices. The more extensive choreographed combat scenes in Argylle are a spectacle. While I don’t think the majority reach the heights of the church scene in Matthew Vaughn’s other comedic spy thriller, Kingsmen: The Secret Service, they do come close.
“The more extensive choreographed combat scenes in Argylle are a spectacle.”
There are two standouts, and it’s Sam Rockwell’s introduction to the story with a fight scene on a train with some great music selections to go along with each combat scene. They are fun and well-choreographed. The biggest standout when it comes to this, though, is the big, colourful combat scene that comes near the end of the film. I won’t spoil it, but it was a hilarious spectacle that I can’t wait to watch again.
Argylle also mixes in an interesting perspective I haven’t seen in a film in a long time. While Elly is coming to terms with the situation, she is suffering from anxiety. We see flashes of Sam Rockwell’s Aiden and Henry Cavill’s Argylle swapping during fights and other highly stressful scenes. What makes these switches stand out is during the extended fight scenes, we see Henry Cavill being cool, calm, and collected, and when Elly blinks, it turns into Sam Rockwell being more goofy about his fighting. It’s a cool perspective that I wasn’t expecting, but it was an excellent way to mix Elly’s writing into the current situation.
When it comes to performances, Argylle has an outstanding cast. Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, Sofia Boutella, Ariana DeBose, Catherine O’Hara, and Samuel L. Jackson are all big hitters. While some of them have significantly less screen time than others, they all stand by themselves.
With a focus point on Bryce Dallas Howard’s Elly Conway and Sam Rockwell’s Aiden, they are a force to reckon with. They play off each other in such a fun and loving way. When they are in scenes together, they steal the room. There is a specific scene that sold me on the duo, and it comes in the form of Sam Rockwell trying to teach Bryce Dallas Howard how to stomp heads in a hallway—pure gold.
I thoroughly enjoyed Argylle, and it wasn’t what I was expecting. Between Matthew Vaughn’s willingness to lean into the cheese and knockout performances from Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell, mixed with incredibly choreographed, musically charged fight scenes, Argylle was a blast.
