When the Argylle trailer was first released to the public, audiences were enthralled–with acclaimed Kingsmen director Matthew Vaughn behind the wheel, a star-studded cast, vibrant visuals, and action-packed fight scenes– the movie seemed promising to fans of the spy-thriller genre. Released on Feb. 2 2024, Argylle is based on a book of the same title by Elly Conway.
Opening to an action-packed scene mirroring that of James Bond, Agent Argylle (played by Henry Cavil) stands sharply dressed at a party as he encounters a stunning enemy spy by the name of LaGrange (Dua Lipa). His interaction with LaGrange incites a thrilling motorcycle chase that ends in LaGrange being subdued by Agent Argylle’s trusty partner Agent Wyatt (John Cena), who reveals that the two work for the same syndicate organization.
The movie then cuts to the true protagonist of the film, retelling the story to a sea of fans. The plot of Argylle centers around a young, introverted, quirky, and widely successful author by the name of Elly Conway, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Conway is on a press tour for her best-selling series Argylle alongside her Scottish Fold-breed kitten Alife, as she simultaneously works to finish the finale of her fifth book.
Contrary to what the promotional content for the movie may suggest, Agent Argylle, and Agent Wyatt are relatively minor roles, who play the main characters in Conway’s series. Throughout the film they appear as comforting extensions of Conway’s imagination, as she overcomes various trials and tribulations.
Suffering from writer’s block, Elly Conway decides to spontaneously travel back to her hometown via train to meet with her mother in hopes of gaining insight into finishing the final chapter of the book. On the way to her destination, her hopes of being seated with a dreamy gentleman passenger are dashed when an unkempt, unhinged fan claiming to be a spy sits across from her, who would manically claim he was involved in espionage.
Aiden Wyle (playfully portrayed by Sam Rockwell) reveals how her series of spy novels have in fact successfully predicted nefarious world events, which has placed her in grave danger at the hands of an evil spy organization known as The Division. As Conway tries to will the final chapter of her novel to figure out the fate of the characters and story, she also discovers the truth about herself, and works with Wylde to take down The Division.
There were various portions of the movie that lacked depth and resulted in confusion. For one, Argylle isn’t sure of its target demographic, which leaves the movie seeming as though it’s suffering an identity crisis in tandem with the protagonist Elly Conway. Throughout the movie, the characters deliver simple-minded dialogue that follows a tell-don’t-show philosophy. Along with this, there were numerous instances of exaggerated visual effects– like when a character in the film is hypnotized by a MacBook laptop with a laughably cheesy 3-D purple spiral emanating from the screen. These stylistic choices can make the viewer question whether the movie is made for younger audiences.
However the frequent depiction of alcohol consumption, the fast-paced convoluted plotline, violence (though there is minimal blood), swearing, and Dua Lipa’s oversexualized character– prove otherwise, making for a confusing watch. With this, it leaves older audiences unable to forgive the movie for its flaws on the basis that it’s intended for children– and instead treads an in-between where Argylle is slightly too corny for adults expecting an action-packed spy film, and too complicated for kids.
Additionally, the constant hopscotch between the harsh realities faced by Conway, and the absurdist James Bond ways of Argylle in Conway’s imagination, served to undermine the emotional impact and struggles experienced by Conway. Case in point, the jarring transition between Conway in a life-threatening fight sequence, and a smoldering Argylle effortlessly vanquishing his adversaries appeared incongruent, missing even the lowest denominator comedic value, if that was intended at all.
The main issue with the movie revolved around the lack of serious challenges that the characters (namely Elle Conway and Aiden Wylde) faced. Whenever a novel roadblock met the characters, the issue would be resolved in a matter of minutes. When Elle Conway suffers a panic attack from her previously established fear of aerial travel, she finds the simple solution of taking in deep breaths enough to overcome this misstep. In another scene where Conway is lost in London, running from a spy, with no means of escape, she conceptualizes another solution– just call your mom!
The fundamental lack of any real serious peril makes both the plot and the characters fall flat. Dilemmas are solved too efficiently, so by the time a serious issue looms, audiences are already accustomed to the characters solving the issue without much effort, and prevailing.
Despite the various shortcomings of Argylle, the movie itself is still enjoyable under the right circumstances. The genuinely unexpected plot twists make for an engaging movie that keeps the viewer second-guessing what is to come next. The movie executes ludicrous plot twists that leave the audience questioning the entirety of all that was established earlier in the movie.
The absurdity of the plot allows audiences to internalize the fantastical nature of the movie, which also lets the film get away with minor plot holes. It was easy to overlook inconsistencies like Conway falling asleep in a car after a shocking near-death incident in London, and waking up calmly in the same vehicle on a tranquil meadow in Southern France.
There is also no denying that the movie had playful and engaging visuals– with a production budget of 200 million reported by the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) , the scenes in the movie encapsulated the essence of a stereotypical Hollywood spy-movie, but with an intensified use of flashy color schemes. The colors of the movie asserted to the audience the exuberant nature of the film, and made it clear that the creators did not take the movie too seriously. The use of color in the film and the elaborate sets– for example, the headquarters for the Division– allow the movie to maintain a sense of fantasy and light-heartedness.
The entertaining, if over-the-top CGI visual effects during fight scenes and escapade getaways are so ridiculous that it leaves the viewers more amused than dismissive of its mere absurdity. The movie feels as though the writers were trying to compact every wild and incohesive idea possible in a short span of time which resulted in a surprisingly entertaining roller-coaster of a film. The outlandish nature of the plot, the visuals, and the actions of the characters are what make the movie so difficult to watch that it maintains a sense of hilarity and unconventional amusement. Argylle is a perfect movie to watch on a Friday night after a long week when you’re too exhausted to expend any brain cells and simply seek to poke harmless fun at with friends.
