“The greater the spy, the bigger the lie” is a tagline for Matthew Vaughn’s latest mystery spy thriller, Argylle. It’s actually clue for the movie you are about to watch. You may be thinking that you’re going to see one kind of flick but end up watching something quite a bit different. This is a normal experience for a Vaughn film. From Kick-Ass to Kingsman, his stories start out pretty straight forward and then take a few sharp turns before the ending. Argylle is basically a spy spoof and a mystery made with inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, where a seemingly everyday man is wanted by a mysterious organization.
This globe-trotting comedy often pokes at the older, and dare I say weirder James Bond films. The movie is crazy fun and will keep you guessing until the end. It features an excellent cast, a lot of action and a fun soundtrack. Better yet, it’s completely original. It’s not a sequel and it’s not based on a known property proving that Hollywood can still come up with new stuff worth seeing.
Argylle is essentially two stories in one. The movie begins with our hero, Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill sporting a harsh flattop haircut) and his sidekick Wyatt (John Cena) tracking down his arch nemesis, the striking, Lagrange (Dua Lipa). The sexiness of the first meeting followed by an amazing (and totally implausible) chase scene, harken back to an over-the-top Bond film. But the story eventually morphs into a story about spy story author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is on a book tour for her new book … Argylle. Yep, she’s the author of the story mentioned above. While her books are exciting, her personal life is a lot less thrilling. She’s in a relationship with her work and she stays home a lot with Alfie, a Scottish Fold feline (who is played by Vaughn’s real cat).
Ruth (Catherine O’Hara) and Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston) (Universal Pictures)
Catherine O’Hara is hilarious as Elly’s loving but overbearing mother. She is Elly’s biggest cheerleader who is thrilled with her daughter’s latest manuscript for a new espionage novel. But Ruth says that Elly’s new story needs some more work and offers to help her tighten it up. Begrudgingly, Elly agrees and begins travel back home with cat in tow. While on an Amtrak train, Elly’s real life begins to blur with her literary one. In a matter of minutes, she meets Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), a mysterious stranger who calmly tells her that her fictional stories share ties with a real spy organization and that her life is in danger.
Argylle’s cast also includes Bryan Cranston playing Director Ritter (a bad guy), Ariana Debose (a whiz kid who assists Agent Argylle) and Samuel L. Jackson (in a surprise role). Everyone here looks like they are having a great time. And why not? The script is very creative. And unlike some of Vaughn’s earlier films, it’s a lot less violent as the movie is rated PG-13. Well, technically, there is still plenty of violence, but most of it happens outside of the audience’s view. You won’t see any heads explode, so that’s good. Swearing is kept at a minimum too.
La Garange (Dua Lipa), Wyatt (John Cena), Samuel L. Jackson and Keira (Ariana Debose) (Universal Pictures)
Argylle won’t please everybody. It’s not biting satire nor is it trying to make a political statement. But for me, the only real criticism that I have for the movie is that it could really benefit from a good editing. Some scenes drag on longer than they need to especially the ending scenes which goes on and on and on. Clocking in at two hours and 19 minutes, it’s a fun ride, but there becomes a time when you just want to go home.
Main Image: Universal Pictures
Leave a comment