Argylle – A Spy Thriller With More Twists Than Thrills (Early Review)

Matthew Vaughn is no stranger to the action genre having kickstarted the Kingsman, Kick Ass, and X-Men prequel franchises (First Class) to great success, but his latest attempt, Argylle, is unlikely to generate the same success. The film opens on an explosive note with a pastiche and seeming parody of the Bond films, with it’s over the top action and cheesy dialogue. If this all sounds very rote and uninspired, that’s sorta the point as audiences soon learn that this tale of rogue agents is merely a fictional book series written by Elly Conway (Howard), an anxiety ridden workaholic and the bestselling author of the “Argylle” series.  As Conway is wrapping up her next book, she’s intercepted by an actual spy named Aidan (Rockwell) who informs her that her life is in great danger and that he’s here to protect her. Her Argylle books seemingly predict the future of global politics and the inner workings of actual spy agencies with frightening accuracy. Elly’s imagination borders on fortune telling which has spurred rival spy agencies to get ahold of Elly by any means necessary so they can get the jump on the next chapter of a larger global mystery. That’s about as far as this review could go without delving into spoiler territory, something that the film’s marketing has strived desperately to maintain as over 90% of the footage shown in the trailers is from its opening act.

After the initial set ups and character introductions, audiences are thrown headfirst into twist after twist after twist. Where nothing is ever as it seems and no one is ever who they claim to be…therein lies the film’s biggest issue. If everything is a twist, a rug pull, a deception, it makes it incredibly hard to grow attached to anyone or get invested in anything happening on screen. Much has been made about Argylle’s extensive star studded cast and while a number of them are unfortunately reduced to extended cameos, the core cast impresses. Howard brings a very affable warmth to a character that under any other actor could prove annoying, someone who is constantly on the edge and freaking out as the spy world is introduced to them. Rockwell brings a leisurely swagger to his role and delivers many of the film’s funniest line readings as a slacker-ish super spy. While the actors do a commendable job keeping track of every oncoming development and reveal, the script never offers them the depth needed to make these transformations particularly compelling. The Argylle book opening portends a pastiche of spy movie tropes delivered in a self aware manner, but when the film shifts back into the real world…that parodic style is played completely straight. From commenting on generic tropes to becoming one itself.

Vaughn’s films have often by characterized by his hyper stylized action scenes and colourful direction, two elements absent from Argylle. Watching the film is sure to bring some audiences back to the worst of the immediate post-COVID slate, with an abundance of green screen and tricky photography to hide the fact that no one was in the same room as one another. This visual language extends to Argylle and then some. A number of major scenes, from the lavish to the mundane are rendered with a flat artificial look as the actors were all clearly added in post, which will lead some to wonder if most of the cast shot in the same room as one another. The fake digital look extends to the action as well, with a number of the film’s most creative action sequences completely undone by how weightless and artificial the surrounding CGI was. It all plays like a lifeless imitation of Vaughn’s style, lacking the impact and energy that made sequences like the church fight in Kingsman play so effectively.

In the end, Argylle is a huge disappointment considering the breadth of talent involved. The film is so overly invested in its own cleverness, to keep one upping the audience in twists that it mistakes surprise for genuine excitement. Its narrative collapses in on itself to incoherence and its thinly sketched characters and unengaging spectacle result in an endless near-2.5 hour watch. And just when one thinks it’s over, they’re threatened with the promise of even more sequels, with a truly eye rolling and groan worthy tease. After seeing Argylle, it would be shocking if that ever came to fruition. Fans of Vaughn’s films are better off revisiting his past hits.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Alex Josevski

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