“Argylle,” the latest film in the “Kingsman” universe, follows Elly Conway, a spy novel writer, as she finds herself at the center of one of her own stories after her latest book predicts real events. But, as the film keeps reminding its audience, nothing appears as it seems and Elly finds it impossible to trust anyone, including herself.
With an extremely convoluted plot and overlong story, “Argylle” comes off as a parody of every spy action film ever — including Matthew Vaughn’s own “Kingsman” movies. The film, riddled with inconsistent spy movie tropes, consists of numerous plot twists. Characters die only to come back to life, hilariously parodying recent developments in film series like the “Fast & Furious” franchise. But all of this meta-commentary and critique also emphasizes the stakeless plot. With poor character development and bad writing, “Argylle” feels like a failed attempt at capturing something Vaughn already achieved in “Kingsman: The Secret Service” — a fun spy story that satirizes its own genre.
The film features an ensemble cast led by Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell that mostly feels underused. Rockwell delivers a solid performance as Aidan, dancing in and out of scenes (as usual). However, Aidan feels like a more generic version of Rockwell’s characters from older films, like “Mr. Right.” Bryce Dallas Howard delivers a fun performance as Elly and later as the slightly more villainous Rachel. Catherine O’Hara gets a welcome turn as a psychotic British villain, and Henry Cavill proves he should play the next James Bond. However, the rest of the cast, including Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, Ariana DeBose, John Cena and Dua Lipa, don’t get much to work with aside from awkward, exposition-heavy dialogue and cameo-sized roles.
“Argylle” truly shines with bombastic action scenes and an intensely cheesy plot. The colorful, gleefully chaotic set pieces one can expect from a Matthew Vaughn film appear in the movie and make “Argylle” a blast to watch. Despite the film’s fun mayhem, one can’t help but feel a lack of something special. The social commentary and real-world aspects of the first “Kingsman” movie feel abandoned, replaced with cartoony shenanigans and nondescript locations. London, which felt like a real city with real people in the first movie, now feels like a fancy backdrop for chase scenes. No matter how crazy, ridiculous and over-the-top the set pieces get, they never feel as fresh as the ones in Vuaghn’s earlier works. The poor use of CGI also mar the film, leading to an end product that looks more like a Netflix movie than a big-budget blockbuster.
“Argylle” implements every spy movie trope ever invented, but also proves that telling every story ever told does not equate to telling a good story. Despite the screenplay’s misgivings, viewers can enjoy “Argylle” as a fun and engaging action movie with just enough style to get by.
2 ½ cat scratches out of 5
