'Argylle' Leans Into Ridiculously Sticky, Bubblegum Fun

Matthew Vaughn's latest film, Argylle is a ridiculous romp and a total blast of an action comedy that bends the concept of the story within a story. Elly Conway’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) cozy, introverted life as a best-selling author of spy thrillers is detonated when her latest book makes her the target of an international spy agency. The film demands a hefty amount of suspension of disbelief but delivers rewards with satisfying plot twists and genuine humor; however, it also makes sure never to take itself too seriously. 

For some perspective on how to approach this as a viewer, consider Exhibits A and B: Argylle contains both a dance sequence of death and an ice-skating sequence of death – which are fabulous and perfectly set to music.

Starting within Elly’s fictional world of secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill), a James Bond-style scenario explodes into a fully over-the-top chase scene that’s reminiscent of the Fast and Furious franchise and every spy film that came before it. This is the current final chapter of Elly’s book, which she is reading to an audience of devoted fans. However, her mother (Catherine O’Hara) says it needs one more. So Elly hops a train with her cat Alfie in a travel backpack, at which point the fun really begins with the introduction of Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), a real-life spy who’s there to intercept Elly from the team of assassins. After killing a seemingly never-ending stream of them, Wilde executes a daring and preposterous escape from the train with Elly and the cat.

Elly is shocked to learn the things she wrote about a covert spy agency in her new book are real, as is the agency itself. She accidentally uncovered a plot involving evidence of global crimes the agency committed. On the run and unsure who to trust, Elly’s sense of reality starts to break down further as she frequently hallucinates and gets advice from Argylle while in dangerous situations. The twists start mounting at this point, and some viewers may guess the big one. However, suffice to say, it felt fresh and unexpected.

Although the story is well constructed, the plot doesn’t matter. This isn’t a grand mystery; Argylle knows it’s bubble gum and leans in. Where the film truly excels is in its outstanding ensemble cast. Playing Argylle allows Cavill to be tongue-in-cheek and use his native English accent, but the character is saddled with a distracting, terrible-on-purpose haircut. John Cena plays Argylle’s fellow agent Wyatt and is having the time of his life in this role; that’s starting to become a hallmark of his acting, and I am here for it. Dua Lipa rounds out the fictional trio, holding her own as counter-agent Lagrange.

Rockwell as Wilde has the best time of all; the film practically rests on his shoulders and his ability to be funny, charming, and thrilling, which he delivers in spades. As one of the more famous “That Guy” actors, he earned an Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and his dramatic roles get tons of deserved attention. But for my money, Rockwell is at his zenith in comedic roles. Much of Wilde's characterization is reminiscent of his role in 2015’s Mr. Right, a similar action comedy.

Howard is a capable Elly, but she is the weak link in the group. She lacks chemistry with Wilde, which is necessary for some of the plot to work. Fortunately, the rest of the cast is solid and engaging and includes rousing performances by O’Hara, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bryan Cranston as the bad guy. Easter egg alert: A mid-credits stinger seems to link Argylle with Vaughn’s Kingsman universe and hints at possible sequels (or crossovers). Time will tell.

Because this matters to me and our lovely readers here at Telly Visions, I want to assure everyone that Alfie the cat survives! He is subjected to heaps of danger and gets nary a scratch on him. But the onscreen cat is nearly entirely CGI – and terrible CGI at that – leading to a lack of emotional connection to his peril. Surprisingly, a real cat is credited (Chip, director Vaughn’s cat) because at no time did Alfie look anything other than poorly animated. It’s a minor quibble in an otherwise terrifically entertaining film.

Argylle is currently playing in theaters and will stream globally on Apple TV+ in the coming weeks.