Argylle is a rollercoaster of action, charm and thrilling spy story that feels a little over bloated but still a fun popcorn film.
Reclusive author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) writes best-selling espionage novels about a secret agent named Argylle (Henry Cavill) who’s on a mission to unravel a global spy syndicate. However, when the plots of her books start to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, the line between fiction and reality begin to blur.
The cast completely owned their roles and benefited from Jason Fuch’s script and Matthew Vaughn direction for instance Howard’s character being an innocent writer whereas real life spy Aidan (Sam Rockwell) who is just a lose cannon of a performance which reminds us why we love seeing Rockwell in comedies. Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, Sofia Boutella and Samuel L. Jackson round out the cast but its Howard and Rockwell that steal the show. Sometimes, it seems that Rockwell wanted to actually dance the whole time.
Argylle leans on its well-choreographed action sequences along with the humor to help tell this story. The film strikes a balance between the serious and the comedic, injecting humor into unexpected situations. The witty dialogue and humorous moments add to the overall enjoyment of the film without compromising its action or suspenseful elements.
While watching Argylle, you can feel that Fuch’s script has leaned on other hits films such as Kingsman, Romancing the Stone and Burn After Reading to round out his story. Argylle falls into the category of other films where visual effect seem to take a step back like most films of the last few years, outside of Mission Impossible series, Top Gun or any Denis Villeneuve/Christopher Nolen films, but doesn’t hurt when telling the story.
In conclusion, Argylle is a wild ride filled with action, fun characters, and a complex but familiar storyline. It’s the kind of film that provides twist & turn with a roller coaster fun that you just aside all reality. Whether you’re a fan or not of outrageous spy/action flick or just looking for a fun movie to watch this weekend, Argylle will give you both.