ARGYLLE – Review

It feels as though there are one, or two, films that want to “push” against the standard movie-releasing rules as January slowly (with those recent temps it feels like crawling) gives way to February. The big splashy noisy action blockbusters are supposed to be waiting in the wings for the warmer times, but since this is from “Marv maverick” Matthew Vaughn, of course it’s not going to adhere to anyone’s rules. The guiding force behind the KINGSMAN and KING’S MAN franchises (and a pivotal entry in the X_MEN multiverse) attempts to get another series going by mixing in a bit more comedy and even a touch of romance and fantasy as he hopes we will be swept up in the world of ARGYLLE.

And just what does the title mean? In the first few minutes we learn that it’s the moniker of a globe-trotting “super-spy” (Henry Cavill), who favors a velvet suit rather than the patterned sweaters. When we meet him, he’s trying to capture a sultry blonde assassin, Lagrange (Dua Lipa). And with the help of his “muscle” Wyatt (John Cena) and computer whiz Kiera (Ariana DeBose), it’s “mission accomplished”, until they learn that their target was actually working with their boss in “the agency’. But then Argylle’s narrative voice segues into a woman’s voice, that of Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is reading the last line of her newest espionage thriller (the fifth in a series of best sellers) at her local bookstore in Colorado. From there it’s back to her quiet country home on the lake, buffeted by the mountains, as she finishes the sixth book, aided by her constant companion, a Scottish Fold cat named Alfie. The still night is interrupted by a “face-time” call from Elly’s mom Ruth (Catherine O’Hara) who isn’t pleased with the draft of the new tome. Agreeing that it needs a new chapter for a better ending, Ruth says that she’ll fly out for a visit. But Elly throws her a curve by boarding a Chicago-bound train. As the train departs, she’s joined by an off-putting scraggly fan named Aidan (Sam Rockwell) who explains that he’s a real spy and that Elly’s books have real-life counterparts. Elly scoffs until Aidan saves her from the countless skilled killers in the passenger car. As they escape, Aidan tells her that she must finish the new story, in order to thwart the forces that want to silence the duo forever. Somehow Elly’s creations are indeed true, and the reclusive writer must call upon her inner agent Argylle to survive.

As the timid and awkward “future cat lady” Elly, Howard displays the full range of her acting prowess, jumping right from comic annoyance to stark skittish terror to reluctant daredevil (hey she could wear high heels and evade dinosaurs in a recent trilogy) as the “normal” plunged into this “netherworld”. She’s certainly the heart of this flick as the vulnerable author turned adventurer. It helps that her guide is the ultra-cool and wacky Aidan played with “loosey-goosey” charm to spare by the always interesting “wild card” Rockwell, a nice “switcheroo” on the cliffhanging hero. More like the cliche is Cavill as the “fictional” gentleman agent who seems to have everything under control, especially his razor-sharp “buzz” haircut. He’s a fun parody in the opening sequences and it’s always a treat to see him “pop in” for a few seconds to assure Elly as she sees him in a mirror before “blinking” him back into her brain. Bryan Cranston appears to be having lots of fun putting his own spin on the arch-enemy “mastermind” role of Ritter, head of the “Division”. O’Hara flexes her considerable comic “chops”‘ as Elly’s “hovering” and way too helpful mother (a twist on her HOME ALONE icon). Though they’re featured heavily in the marketing, Lipa (who sizzles on screen), DeBose, and Cena really have slightly elongated “cameos’ as the novel’s femme fatale, and sidekicks, respectfully. Much the same can be said of Sofia Boutella as the “Keeper of Secrets” and particularly Samuel L. Jackson in a role that’s an affable, amiable “Nick Fury-lite”.

Vaughn gives the opening Bondian set-piece a real “sugar rush” jolt of giddy energy pouring on his hyper-stylized campy stunt flourishes. It almost makes us wish that he could bring that wild whimsey to a full-on spy satire ala the OSS-117 series (or another try at GET SMART). Then he switches gears into a manic spin on ROMANCING THE STONE with Elly and Aidan having a definitely deadly “meet cute”. Unfortunately, the script from Jason Fuchs begins piling on the double and triple crosses, attempting to dazzle us with its clever twists, but often coming off as illogical with characters changing behaviors “willy nilly”, with situations triggering responses that should’ve occurred earlier (not wanting to spoil). It wears us down long before the big third act stunt-heavy finale (paired with lotsa’ pop tunes) that has nearly five near-conclusions with a truly colorful showdown that would be sumptuous at a couple of minutes but comes off as self-indulgent “showboating” at nearly ten minutes. Luckily Vaughn (who has been de-clawed much like Alfie in order to get a more all-ages friendly PG-13 rating) keeps the comic close-ups of the obviously CGI kitty cat limited (it seemed like the trailers were “pushing’ it relentlessly), but the whole thing feels incredibly bloated at 139 minutes (didn’t FAST X teach us anything about action’thriller editing being needed). A dreary mid-credits bonus scene teases a follow-up, but this initial effort’s exhausting pacing and cliched “master plan” may make this the first and final mission for the mildly amusing agent ARGYLLE.

2 Out of 4

ARGYLLE is now playing in theatres everywhere