From the mind of director, Matthew Vaughn comes Argylle a bonkers spy caper that is completely nonsensical and loads of fun!
Reclusive author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) writes best-selling espionage novels about a secret agent named Argylle who’s on a mission to unravel a global spy syndicate. However, when the plots of her books start to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, the line between fiction and reality begin to blur.
The comedy in this film was very enjoyable, despite how cheeky and over the top it can sometimes. Argylle uses a lot of tactics to get the laughs – like sarcasm, straight up delivery, unbelievable stunts, cheesy moments and moment slapstick humor that helps go with the flow of a Vaughn movie. Its surprisingly well balanced and doesn’t get too farfetched, which helps blend that comic book quality with real life keeping the film entertaining.
The music was one of my favorite parts of the film, and they pulled the right tracks together that are used so intelligently to accomplish some many things. At some moments the is just funny, the perfect touch to go with the theme, seel the thoughts, and add that background noise to bring everything together. And other times, the song is just catchy, energetic, upbeat, and paired with the sound effects to get viewers fired up.
Argylle was genuinely a fun film and didn’t get too caught up in the politics and agendas of the world, but went back to that ludicrous story that combined many elements together into a movie that was engaging and kept my attention.
Now, I wouldn’t say its the best, but it still holds condor for elevating the film past knock off jokes and violent punches. The story actually provides some character development in two of the lead characters, which helps to focus on the story elements and less on the power player role which I quite enjoyed. There was a little bit of world building, alongside some engaging elements to really give audiences characters to follow, and upped the stakes a bit to help accomplish a lot in such a short time.
Matthew Vaughn knows how to make some memorable action sequences and Argylle is now different, still showing his creative elements coming to life. The stuff early on in teh film is surprisingly grounded and a bit more traditional outside a few stunts that just scream Sam Rockwell. Towards the end though, most of the sequences are totally something out of a comic book: over the top, flashy, funny, and downright corny that I couldn’t help but love how it all came together.
It was great having Henry Cavill back on the big screen and he was great for the time he appeared on screen. He has that James Bond-type sex appeal, delivery that works for the role, and the humor later on in the film. I just wish he had more screen time. Sam Rockwell is, well, Sam Rockwell. He’s fantastic at what he does and brings his trade sarcasm to the role. He’s sarcastic and just naturally humorous and yet still has this vulnerability that shows just how talented he is. Bryce Dallas Howard once again proves she can deliver more layered roles. She’s nerdy, anxious, loving, and so much more, all blended together to make crazy situations believable and avoids those annoying levels that these films can sometimes get into.
Like most of Vaughn’s films, the pace is engaging given the balance of faster walking through scenes, but also slowing down when it calls for it. Argyle does its best to find the perfect balance of storytelling, world building, and action to help further uncover the film’s mysteries and the truth they are seeking.
Overall, Argylle was tons of fun and actually better than what I was expecting. The main reason is that director Matthew Vaughn just pulls his magic of blending so many things together to create an entertaining piece and finding the right way to make things energetic and fun. Great acting to deliver lines, character development, escalating action and plenty of comedy all blended together and optimized the feelings that Vaughn knows how tro bring to life. With an engaging pace and just purely entertaining made it worthy of a trip to the theaters. However, it still had room for improvement. The action gradually gets to that exciting level, but starts off a bit stiff in the beginning as the movie finds its footing. The twist and pacing needed a bit more sprucing up to be that perfect balance of storytelling and flair we know Vaughn can bring.
Argylle is now playing in theaters.
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments below
