Argylle Review: Wild Action, Big Twists & Romance Combine With Mostly Satisfying Results
For the past decade, "Kick-Ass" and "X-Men: First Class" director Matthew Vaughn has been entrenched in the world of high-class spies, thanks to the "Kingsman" franchise. Though "Argylle" keeps the filmmaker firmly in the spy action genre, the film offers Vaughn the chance to venture into somewhat different territory thanks to the movie's many twists and turns, including a couple of showstopping action sequences, the likes of which you've never seen on the big screen before. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
On the surface, "Argylle" takes cues from movies like 1984's "Romancing the Stone" and the more recent "The Lost City," each featuring stories where a female novelist becomes entrenched in exactly the kind of real action and adventure that she's only imagined in the pages of books. This time, it's Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway, the author behind the successful, ongoing spy novel series "Argylle." Elly has just finished the fifth book in the franchise, which ends with her hero Argylle (played in imagined film sequences by "Man of Steel" star Henry Cavill) learning how to get ahold of a key piece of information that will bring down a villainous organization once and for all. But Elly's mother (Catherine O'Hara) feels like the cliffhanger ending leading to another book is a cop-out, sending the author into an anxious spiral that sets her off for a visit to her parents to properly finish the book.
While hopping a train back home, Elly turns down a kind man who expresses a potential romantic interest in her, clearly unable to let herself seek out romance while letting her career dictate her life. But of course, she does have love for her cat Alfie (played by Vaughn's real cat), who accompanies her in a protective backpack. Elly may not be able to find romance, but she does find herself suddenly attacked by deadly spies on the train. Thankfully, she's just (reluctantly) met another skilled spy named Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who informs her that an organization known as The Division (led by Bryan Cranston) is trying to hunt her down — because everything she's written in the "Argylle" books has turned out to be true in the real world. Now The Division is keen to find out what happens next, and they'll stop at nothing to grab her.
Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard are fantastic
The first half of the movie plays out exactly as you'd expect, with Bryce Dallas Howard flying by the seat of her pants in pure panic and fear as people keep trying to kill her, while Aidan fights to protect her and bring her up to speed with what's been happening in the underground spy world. However, there's a surprising and somewhat perplexing visual juxtaposition of Sam Rockwell as Aidan and Henry Cavill as Argylle, as Elly continually sees Argylle in the place of Aidan, with footage of the two spies spliced together seamlessly as they each fight their way through the same bad guys in front of her very eyes. There's some slick editing used to piece Rockwell and Cavill's action into one sequence, and seeing the fictional character and real word spy alternating as one person makes Elly think she's going a little mad.
These finely choreographed sequences involve all the usual punching, kicking, stabbing, gunfire, and even a grenade, and Vaughn struts his usual "Kingsman" kind of stuff as funky pop soundtrack cues create infectiously rhythmic fights. Speckled throughout the action and intrigue are also solid moments of comedy, thanks to both the inconvenient presence of Elly's cat Alfie (though, on several occasions, Alfie is unjustly mistreated by several characters, and he sometimes ends up being more of a distraction than a feature), and Sam Rockwell's standout performance as Aidan.
While the imaginary Argylle is an impeccably dressed, suave, debonair spy like James Bond, Aidan is more of an everyman who first appears in disguise with a big floppy hat, long hair, and scruffy beard. Even after he's shed that disguise, Aidan has a vibe that's more about blending in as a regular dude than being a cool spy, feeling a bit like "Magnum P.I.," and Rockwell executes his role magnificently. At the same time, Howard does a fantastic job of providing a grounded, even emotional performance in the midst of totally implausible things happening around her. Together, Rockwell and Howard make for a delightful, unlikely duo, each with their own surprises in store as the movie's twisty story unfolds.
A twisty second half mixes up the formula
In fact, it's the movie's twists and turns that end up transforming the kind of movie "Argylle" appears to be. While the marketing has played up the spy action elements and the fish out of water storyline surrounding Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway, as well as the visualization of the book that Elly is writing (which include John Cena and Ariana De Bose in small roles), there's much more bubbling beneath the surface. As the film's many plot turns are revealed, "Argylle" peels back a proper romance at the center of the story, though not exactly in the way that you'd expect. That's all I can say without spoiling several key plot points, but suffice it to say that the second half of the movie is about much more than revealing the real agent Argylle, as the marketing has prominently focused on.
Personally, I think it's the second half of the movie where "Argylle" finds new life. Vaughn really goes for broke with a pair of action sequences that are totally bonkers. One of them unfolds as what is best described as an action musical sequence, where Rockwell and Howard essentially engage in a violent and tactical yet romantic dance with each other. Imagine if Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in "La La Land" were also firing guns and knocking out bad guys while embracing each other as a lovely tune plays throughout. There are even outlandish visual flourishes to enhance the fantastical nature of the sequence, with colorful smoke making the shapes of hearts and rainbows around the characters. That's not even the silliest or most bizarre action sequence in the film's third act. Honestly, I don't even want to describe that second sequence, because it's such a strange moment to witness yourself.
It's this kind of wild approach that I wish Matthew Vaughn embraced throughout the entire movie. But at the same time, I respect the gradual reveal of a much more twisty and unrestrained movie in the back half, providing a new spin on something that initially feels familiar. Granted, the movie stumbles when it tries too hard to mesh the fictional story that Elly Conway created in the "Argylle" books with what is happening in the "real world" of the movie. As the story reveals, there's a reason for the parallels between the books and the activities of the real spy world, but when there are repeated scenes between the two worlds referencing each other, it can be a little tiresome and even confusing at times. And there's also a lot of exposition to sit through in order to get a grasp on everything. Speaking of confusing, there's a mid-credits scene that will leave many scratching their heads.
Worth heading to the multiplex?
"Argylle" offers enough familiar and innovative elements to deliver a mostly entertaining action blockbuster. While it can be a little clumsy at times, the chemistry between Rockwell and Howard is more than enough to keep your attention. Plus, Bryan Cranston and Catherine O'Hara end up having more fun than you'd expect either of them to have based on what we see of their characters in the trailer. But if you're coming to "Argylle" for a Henry Cavill movie, you might be disappointed. Cavill gets to ham it up as a cheesy 007-esque spy in an exaggerated fictional world, but it's kind of a thankless role in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, it's the tease of an "Argylle" sequel in the film's final moments that holds more promise for Cavill's place in the story.
Though "Argylle" may have a few too many twists for its own good, ultimately, those turns help change the face of the movie and mold it into something more satisfying than expected. The romance angle gives Vaughn a new arena to play in with his own unique vision, and along with that, it's undeniable that he still knows how to execute an exhilarating action sequence, even if they become totally unbelievable. In fact, it might even be better when Vaughn goes totally off the wall. At the very least, the filmmaker offers up some cool things that we haven't seen in a modern action movie like this, which can be very challenging in the wake of many "Mission: Impossible" and "John Wick" movies. For that, "Argylle" is worth a trip to the theater.
/Film Rating: 7 out of 10