With genre-subverting films like “Stardust”, “Kick-Ass” and the “Kingsman” franchise under his belt, it’s clear that film director Matthew Vaughn plays by his own rules.
The same can be said for his newest offering, “Argylle”.
While it’s fun being immersed into this colourful make-believe world with ridiculous action sequences and larger-than life consequences, there are also a few shortcomings. But before getting into that, here’s a plot summary.
Elly (Bryce Dallas Howard) is an introverted spy novelist who’s just finished the fifth book in her bestselling “Argylle” series, which is focused on the eponymous secret agent. Suffering from writer’s block, she takes a train to visit her adoring mother Ruth (Catherina O’Hara).
While on the train, she is ambushed by agents from a devious organisation called the Division, and is promptly saved by Aidan (Sam Rockwell), an actual spy, who tells her she’s being hunted because her novels seemingly predict real-life events.
Elly and Aidan now find themselves on a race against time to retrieve a Masterkey to expose the Division, led by the cunning Ritter (Bryan Cranston) who does everything in his power to stop them.
Now, the elephant in the room: where’s Henry Cavill in all this, seeing as he is prominently featured in the poster and the promotional materials?
Well, he’s how Elly imagines Argylle to look like in her books. So he’s effectively in the movie for about five minutes. If you’re watching the film specifically for Cavill, you’ll be disappointed.
However, if you can look past this, you’ll be in for a fun spy thriller.
Acting-wise, Howard turns in a somewhat muddled performance as Elly. At the start of her story when her character is forced to watch Aidan plough down agents sent to kill her, she acts convincingly as the fish-out-of-water novelist.
As the movie progresses, however, and a more serious and dramatic side to her character is expected, her performance falters. When Elly gets in on the action, it can be described as somewhat underwhelming.
On the other hand, Rockwell plays the scruffy-looking Aidan – nothing like the suave, one-liner spouting Argylle in Elly’s books – to perfection.
He steals the show while looking like an everyday man, doing amazing things as an experienced gun-toting agent with great fighting skills. Hence, it’s a shame he’s relegated to the side-lines (mostly) for the third act.
However, it is satisfying to watch how both leads play off each other perfectly for the comedic moments and action scenes.
As for supporting characters, Cranston and O’Hara are veterans who deliver, as the script demands, with finesse. Both bring in some amusing beats to their arguably one-note characters.
Was it mentioned that Vaughn’s own cat, Chip, plays Elly’s cat Alfie? While he spends the majority of his screen time in an argyle backpack, the cat shines when he’s “out of the bag”, scratching and clawing at people he dislikes. Good times.
However, the pacing of the plot leaves much to desire. While it starts off strong, not enough time is given to the audience to properly digest the numerous plot twists, leaving one confused and asking, “wait, what?”
In the action department, Vaughn delivers his signature stylised and over-the-top fight scenes, defying physics and gravity in spectacular fashion. While the CGI gets wonky at times, it’s still a good time while you watch characters drive a car through buildings or become engulfed in colourful smoke as they shoot up a hallway.
All in all, while there are merits to “Argylle” as a fun spy thriller, it lacks those special elements that make it an instant classic like the “Kingsman” movies. There are definitely worse movies to watch though, so go ahead if you consider yourself a Vaughn fan!
‘Argylle’ is currently screening in cinemas nationwide.