“Argylle” is just another action movie you’re going to forget about in a month.
Matthew Vaughn, director and producer of the film, is also known for directing “Kick-Ass” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service.”
The film centers around introverted spy novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) having finished her fifth book about Agent Argylle, (Henry Cavill), the main character of her popular book series “Argylle.” After sharing the manuscript with her mother Ruth (Catherine O’Hara), she tells Elly to rewrite the cliffhanger and add another chapter.
Elly, plagued with writer’s block, boards a train with her cat to visit her parents. Once on the train, she meets a man named Aidan (Sam Rockwell). He reveals to Elly that he is a spy and that a devious organization, led by Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston), has targeted her because her novels have predicted the future.
I don’t normally see Howard in many lead roles in film, so it was refreshing to see her leading a movie. She does a good job at making a timid character likable, and with the charisma from Rockwell, they make a good pair on-screen.
Other actors like Richard E. Grant, Ariana DeBose and Samuel L. Jackson all make appearances, but they have limited screen time and are such underwhelming characters. You could have taken them out of the movie, and it would have been almost exactly the same as what I actually saw in theaters.
I’m a big fan of the aforementioned films by Vaughn so to say I had high hopes for “Argylle” would be an understatement. And, boy, were those hopes squashed.
Most of this movie is plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. You will get bored with how many there are. The plot twists were all pretty predictable and some felt like a slap in the face with how stupid they were.
There was CGI in the film. It made that quite obvious. During a scene from the “Argylle” book, Argylle’s partner, Wyatt (John Cena), is chasing a criminal named LaGrange (Dua Lipa). Lipa’s character is on the motorcycle during this chase, and it’s so apparent when she is actually on screen and when a fake, soulless version of her is on instead.
Elly’s cat, Alfie, is also CGI for a majority of the picture, so be prepared for some awkward interactions between humans and a fake cat.
If you’re ultimately wanting to watch “Argylle” for Lipa, I’m sorry, but this is not the movie for you. She’s only in it for the first ten minutes and is immediately killed off. She is not a main character like the movie posters and trailers want you to think.
For the most part, “Argylle” is just alright. It had the potential to be a fun spy spoof, but it ended up being another generic action movie, despite its interesting plot.
Save your money for a better movie at the theaters, and wait for it to come to streaming services if you really want to watch it.
