(Photo courtesy of: Rotten Tomatoes ) “Director Matthew Vaughn’s cat Chip stars as Alfie in “Argylle”.”
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
“Argylle” is Matthew Vaughn’s newest addition to his cinematic spy universe of the “Kingsman”. “Argylle” follows a mild-mannered author Elly Conway as she is caught up in the world she writes about, and finds herself chasing down the real Agent Argylle. The film is a chaotic good time filled with cats, guns and laughs.
The film is everything fans have come to expect from Vaughn: funny, action-packed and over the top. Sam Rockwell stars as Aiden alongside Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly and their chemistry commands the screen. Buying them as partners in crime is the easiest thing to buy in this film. The plot of “Argylle” gets messy quick, but this is not supposed to be a serious spy thriller, this is a fun action flick. The plot holes are made up for with large-scale explosions and bigger-than-life stunts.
By far the worst part of the movie was the way it was marketed. The trailers spend far too long showing off Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa and John Cena who combined have about 45 minutes of screen time in the movie’s 2 hours and 20 minutes run time. The trailers and posters truly show off something the full movie does not deliver, but what it does deliver is fun and entertaining. Many fans are sure to be disappointed in the lack of their favorite stars.
The movie is carried by Rockwell and his perfectly timed jokes. With “Argylle” toting a PG-13 rating there was only so much room for humor and Rockwell took every opportunity he could. He has perfectly timed jabs at the cat and is able to make combat comical, unlike the “Kingsman” movies.
The best-running gag in the movie is Elly’s pet cat Alfie and his ability to outwit danger. Having a cat breaks the stereotypical spy trope of having a big dog and gives viewers someone to trust and love. Alfie’s ability to escape danger and help take down the evil spy ring is smart screenwriting.
The movie does canonically connect to “Kingsman” in a post-credit scene, but it is hinted at throughout the entire film. The action in “Argylle” does mimic “Kingsman” and feels like they will mesh together very well in the future. The post-credit scene also hints that a sequel for “Argylle” is soon to come.
“Argylle” also has a book to accompany its release. The book follows Agent Argylle on his international spy missions. The author of the book is being kept under wraps, but many have theories about who is behind the cover. The novel is what inspired the film, but it is very unclear what was actually made first.
“Argylle” is definitely not the movie fans and critics thought it was going to be, but the final product is fun and a great addition to the “Kingsman” franchise. It has a future ahead of itself to build into an amazing series of its own. Vaughn movies are known to be unseriously good times and “Argylle” is no exception to this.
Overall Grade: B+
