Film Review – Argylle (2024)

Henry Cavill is the titular Agent Argylle, one of the best in the business, and his latest mission is to bring down a global syndicate (as ever) who want to bring fear and terror to the world, fear under the – possible – leadership of the charismatic LeGrange (Dua Lipa). With the help of his spy squad – namely John Cena and Ariana DeBose – he sets out to right the world’s wrongs. At least on paper. Argylle and his cohorts are, in fact, the creation of isolated writer Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who has enjoyed huge success with her series of books that is now four strong. But things turn stranger than fiction when her plot begins to mirror some real-life espionage that sees herself crossing paths with Aidan (Sam Rockwell), an undercover operative whose latest mission is protecting Elly and her partner-in-crime Alfie, her adorable Scottish Fold cat.

From the snippets of the film’s plot, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had worked out what happens next and, indeed, what the Cat in the Bag was about all along (spoiler: Schrodinger’s Cat this is not). But underneath the surface of Vaughn’s energetic and entertaining globe-trotting adventure throwback is a critique of 21st-century Hollywood, the studio system, and, not surprisingly, the culture of spoilers. If you’re here for the spy shenanigans then you are not going to be disappointed as Vaughn and writer Jason Fuchs bring all the tricks of the trade to the screen, marrying all of the British director’s bravura and boisterousness with the hard-hitting, computer-hacking, death-defying bluster you’d expect from secret agents, double agents and nefarious nasties (Bryan Cranston has a whale of a time as the film’s real dastard). 

Cameras swoop, colours burst, Sam Rockwell dances, and, by extension, the music blares as the film goes full pelt into the spy world with both the bruises of Bourne, the adventure of Bond, and the humour of Austin Powers, even if it’s not quite as silly. Vaughn has spoken of the inspirations of 80s films such as Romancing The Stone and Back To The Future in getting the film’s tone right and, for the most part, he has succeeded in taking us back into a world that is light, bright, and welcoming, escapism of the best order even if the film’s bloated runtime and overwrought story could have done with a severe trim and, for $200million, its CGI help should be much, much better. Nonetheless, you won’t have a more jubilant cinematic adventure this side of Christmas. 

What gives it its true punch and zing is the needling satire on the current state of Hollywood and what the future holds in a landscape where the golden era of streaming has been said to have passed. The irony that Argylle is financed – or, at least, has been purchased – by Apple isn’t lost on us but there’s much subtlety to be found around the how and why of both the film’s plot and the story-within-the-story that digs at franchises and their gestations, studio interference and monopolies, book-to-film translations, social media and hearsay (Taylor Swift is the real author?!) and even superhero fatigue. They all get a ribbing here, subtly or otherwise.

It’s made even more compelling given that the film takes its cue from the fourth book in the series of Argylle books and that Vaughn himself hopes to turn it into another franchise should it succeed. Indeed, the director has had his fair share of experience with the subjects above and no doubt got a good kick out of creating the mockery bubbles under the surface which adds a different dimension to it all but it’s never to the detriment of the film he wanted to make: a classic romp across the globe that, while not sticking its landing perfectly, is the kind of film they just don’t make anymore. With any luck, it won’t be the last.

★★★

In UK cinemas February 1st | Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson | Dir: Matthew Vaughn | Universal Pictures, Apple Original Films | 12A