Movie Review: ‘Argylle’

The peak of spy culture may have come and gone with the 1980s, but – unlike big hair bands – it seems that we may be lucky enough to get a resurgence of spy thriller films. While the genre has never fully gone away, it has lulled with the times. Recently however, we have seen film series like “The Kingsman” try to break open that time capsule, and pull James Bond from his throne at the top of spy culture. Other stand-alone films have taken a much more serious approach to the genre with less luck, never warranting a sequel.

That brings us to “Argylle,” the colorful and lighthearted spy thriller that kicks off 2024. Creating a spy thriller this late in the game is a challenge, considering all of the stereotypes and cliches that you must either adhere to or directly oppose. One way or another you are bound to fall into the cliches trap. There is currently plenty of drama surrounding the identity of the author of the book that this movie is based on, however the screenplay was written by Jason Fuchs, who manages to make every single cliche feel not-quite new, but close enough that it ends up feeling fresh. Embracing the conventional tropes of the genre when needed, and ditching them when they're too obvious.

This film has a star-studded cast including the two leads Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell. We also see Henry Cavill, John Cena, Bryan Cranston – as well as a few others who shall remain anonymous as to not spoil the surprise of seeing their characters appear at just the right moments. With so many celebrities involved, it is no surprise that each of them play their respective roles with utmost precision. Their believability, comedy and accuracy to each character is responsible for this film working as well as it does.

Howard’s character, Elly Conway, is an author who is being pursued by spies for how closely her fictional books resemble “real-world” covert operations. This is where we are introduced to Rockwell’s character, Aiden, the less than ideal “real-world” equivalent of one of Conway's book characters.

Throughout their journey we see your typical over-the-top action that you would expect to see from a blockbuster spy film, however, director Matthew Vaughn does a phenomenal job of blending the fictitious characters with their “real-world” counterparts during both dialogue and action sequences. This can make it hard to keep track of what is really happening, while still maintaining a positive effect of disorientation for the viewer.

At times, this movie can be a little bit cheesy – not necessarily in a bad way – and the film even begins to make fun of itself when it does begin to become over-the-top, regaining the comedic upper-hand and maintaining its core. How they managed to make a film both predictable and unpredictable is a mystery – but it is a mystery that works.

This film is a good old-fashioned spy thriller. If you are a fan of the genre, you are sure to enjoy this addition. You may even want to stick around after the credits for a scene that is sure to leave you craving more if you can catch the secret reference.