If you ’ve been to a movie theater in the past few months , betting odds are very high thatyou saw the laggard for Argylle . The latest film fromdirector Matthew Vaughn(Kingsman , Kick - Ass ) has been advertise so much , it ’s become meme - suitable , especially the head of “ Who is the real agent Argylle ? ” Well , I ’m happy to report the moving-picture show answers that inquiry in a fittingly gratifying way but , in doing so , turn over the audience so much to chew on , what should be a fun , frivolous roller coaster becomes an uneven slog . Some of it ’s skilful – quite sound in fact – but that ’s countervail with mountains of expounding and Brobdingnagian tonal chemise that undersell it all .
In Argylle , Bryce Dallas Howard ( Jurassic World , The Mandalorian ) plays Elly Conway , a celebrate , cat - loving , undercover agent novelist whose Good Book asterisk a fancied super spy name Argylle . Henry Cavill(Man of Steel , The Witcher ) plays Argylle in the film ’s legion fantasy scene , who teams with character reference play by John Cena ( Blockers ) and Ariana DeBose ( West Side Story ) . Elly ’s novels are not just pop though , they ’re eerily similar to what ’s happening in reality , so a material - aliveness undercover agent named Aidan ( Galaxy Quest ’s Sam Rockwell ) must acquire and protect Elly from an vicious organization lead by Bryan Cranston ( Breaking Bad ) who need her so they can find out what ’s go to happen next .
It sound a little perplexing , to be sure , but Vaughn ’s direction and editing , especially in the film ’s opening number , easy distinguishes multiple worlds and a beautiful employment of transition see to it everyone is on the same Sir Frederick Handley Page . He put a very specific tone too . Argylle ’s opening , for deterrent example , is a wild , over - the - top chase successiveness that suggests the film is going to be more goofy than not . Which , at times , it is . Sometimes uproariously so . But as the film move along , those moments are few and far between . Argylle becomes less singular and more like a jukebox of the bully hits . It jumps between the gun - fu of John Wick , the huge stunts of Mission : Impossible , the hyper - reality of Fast and Furious , and the retentive , draw - out explanation of … something with long , drawn - out explanation .
We had to put the true star of Argylle up here at the top.Image: Universal
That ’s because , as you may have discerned , the patch I account above is only the first piece of Argylle ’s puzzle , and there are more pieces than you ’d ever guess . There ’s even a head somewhere in the middle of the pic when activeness scenes almost get sub for great , shocking reveals , each of which transfer the film completely . Change means clarification though , and the film provides that mostly in a “ Tell , do n’t Show ” manner . That can be interesting once or double but , after a while , you get fed up with the avalanche of information and just like the movie would pick a lane and stick to it .
What ’s even more maddening though is that most of the plastic film ’s twist and turns are legitimately surprising and handled incredibly well . Almost too well . you may secern writer Jason Fuchs and the team really , really nailed down how each one of these here and now would make good sense , down to the tiniest detail . And you have it away that because Argylle makes sure to go into every one of those details on screen . That sort of clarity would normally be cocksure and , in the second , it can be . But when you realise for it to make sense , two role have to talk at you for five instant and no one has rive a gunman out or jump off a wagon train in a while , maybe this is n’t quite work so much in what is ostensibly a action - spy - fi film .
But then someone does perpetrate out a gas or does parachute off a train , oftentimes not who you ’d expect , and you sit down there , chuckle , and think , “ Hey , this is n’t that uncollectible . ” That happens even more in the film ’s final act , which is so unbelievably over the top in comparison to the rest of the movie it ’s at first awkward but then kind of endear . Argylle is a movie that swings so wildly for the fence that even when it misses , you have to give it some credit .
Bryce Dallas Howard in Argylle.Image: Universal
A movie like that , one that shifting from serious to silly , go from action at law to expo and hits you with twist after twist , should n’t work at all . That it does in the slightest is in huge part because every individual doer in the movie is just so deuced charismatic and playfulness to catch . Sam Rockwell is fundamentally playing Sam Rockwell , but who can do warlike arts and kill people , which is awing . Bryce Dallas Howard expertly voyage an increasingly difficult function with warmheartedness and humour . Cavill ’s debonair spy is gloriously knife - in - nerve , even when nothing else is . Cranston revels in his supervillain role . And then you ’ve got the likes of Dua Lipa , Samuel L. Jackson , Catherine O’Hara , and a few others read up here and there . There ’s no question that the talent in the film elevates the confutable fabric .
So which one of them is the actual factor Argylle ? I ’m not fail to spoil that . The real question , however , is what pic is the real Argylle ? Is it Henry Cavill and John Cena ’s fantasy world ? Is it Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard ’s meta - reality ? Is the movie suppose to be cheeky ? Is it cheeky enough ? Is it actually chic ? Or is it too smart for its own trade good ? And do n’t forget there ’s a cherished quat in there too ! It ’s kind of all of those matter and more .
Oh ! If that was n’t enough to throw a curveball or six at you , ultimately in the end — after one big , final twirl to leave the audience shocked — Vaughn tacks on an end - mention vista that puddle everything you ’ve just seen up . The conclusion first left me excited , then frustrated , and ultimately a petty letdown , which is Argylle in a nutshell : a valiant effort filled with good ideas that never quite come together .
Henry Cavill in Argylle.Image: Universal
Argylle opens in theaters this weekend .
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Sam Rockwell doesn’t have this hair for long.Image: Universal
