Agylle is an absolute blast from start to finish, with ridiculous action sequences and so many twists and turns it will make your head spin.
Argylle works so well because of the incredible cast fully committing themselves to their roles. This movie has epic action sequences and ridiculous stunts that just get more and more bonkers. It is filled with twists and turns in an effort to keep viewers on their toes right up until the end. It is a bright and colorful comedy meets spy thriller, and is so much fun.
In Argylle, Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, which begin to mirror the actions of a real-life spy organization, putting her in danger. Her main character is a secret agent named Argylle, who is played by Henry Cavill with a terrible, terrible haricut.
Every single actor in Argylle knows exactly what type of movie they are in and they go hard. None of them can be called out for going above and beyond because it is the symbiote that they have created, working together in perfect harmony to deliver a ridiculously fun movie, that is what makes it all work.
It is nearly impossible to get into detail in this review because of the amount of twists and turns — do with that what you will. There are so many it will make your head spin.
For some viewers that will mean a great time of not knowing at all what to expect, for others they could feel confused, or think that there is no rhyme or reason to how things play out.
The action sequences are just as epic as one should expect coming from Matthew Vaughn, maybe even more so. They are extremely well choreographed and easily the most fun part of the film. Just when you think they can’t get more ridiculous, they do.
Audiences will be laughing out loud and cheering, while also sitting on the edge of their seats. These are meant to make Argylle fun, and that is exactly what they do.
The score, coupled with the cinematography, is what truly brings this film home and proves that it knows exactly what it wants to be. Not just during the fight scenes either. There are several lines that are delivered, then we get what is a very unserious score and a camera zoom onto the face. And it is hilarious.
All of that being said, Argylle does have a few flaws. The first being that it is a little too long. It could have tightened its runtime up to a clean two hours, instead of twenty minutes over, to win over the naysayers. Some will say that because of all the twists and turns, it takes too long to get where it is going. Others will say they don’t feel as if there is an actual story in there.
I say that this movie is so much fun, and because of all the twists and turns, I appreciated the longer runtime in order to flesh certain ideas out. I heard many rumblings of critics enjoying the first half of the movie, but not the last, as well as the opposite.
Honestly, the fact that movies are so subjective is one of the reasons I love them so much. Say what you will, Argylle had everyone talking as they left the theater, which is a win in and of itself.
The other small issue that I have with the film is the cat, who is absolutely adorable by the way. However, when the cat is not a cat, but rather CGI, it looks silly. Perhaps that is part of the schtick but it is laughable at times how bad the cat looks doing stunt when it is very clearly not the real cat.
Argylle pokes fun at the spy genre while simultaneously embracing certain aspects of it. This will work extremely well for some, while leaving others feeling like the movie can’t decide if it wants to be serious or campy.
For me, the blurred lines were perfection, with just the right amount borrowed from both sides. It is the solid performances by the actors who know exactly what kind of movie they are in that sell it.
The ridiculous action sequences deliver bonkers stunts and a whole lot of fun. While Argylle goes on a bit too long, and certainly could have perfected the cat’s CGI appearance, this is the movie we all need right now. A thrilling spy adventure that will have you guessing right up until the end.
Oh, and stay for that end credit scene.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
NEXT: Scrambled Movie Review: An Emotional Journey
About Argylle
Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie.
But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books–which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate–begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past.
Accompanied by Aidan (OscarĀ® winner Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur.
Argylle comes to theaters on February 2nd.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.