“Argylle”: 200 million for that?

Romantic spy comedies are almost their own genre, there are so many of them now. Just think of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, “Knight and Day” with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz or, more recently, “The Lost City” with Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock and “Ghosted” with Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. All of these films have all the elements for an entertaining evening, but are usually endlessly duplicable.

It turns out that British director Matthew Vaughn is a master of entertainment and loves to play with genres. With “Layer Cake” (2004), his first feature film, he revived the gangster film and paved the way for Daniel Craig to play 007. This was followed by the fantasy film “Stardust” (2007), before releasing “Kick-Cake”. Ass” in 2010”, a brutal parody of superhero films that offers humorous and powerful moments that are sometimes grotesque but always enjoyable.

A formula that the filmmaker has retained as his signature, as he repeated it three times with the ‘Kingsman’ trilogy. It’s about an independent British secret service office where the agents dress like gentlemen.

Matthew Vaughn doesn’t take too many risks with ‘Argylle’ because the film is so closely related to his previous film series that you could almost speak of a crossover. It contains absolutely everything that made up the ‘Kingsman’ saga – just not as well. For those who lived through Jean-Pierre Belmondo’s golden age, the story is reminiscent of Philippe de Broca’s French film “Le Magnifique – I am the Greatest” (1973). In it, a writer invents his literary double, the secret agent Bob Saint-Clar.

Here it is not Jean-Paul Belmondo, but actress Bryce Dallas Howard (known from ‘Jurassic World’) who plays Elly Conway. Elly is a successful author whose spy novels, centering on a fictional secret agent named Argylle, are real bestsellers. The very introverted woman rarely leaves her house and is never without her cat Alfie. One day, she becomes involved in the activities of a sinister criminal secret society and is rescued by a spy named Aiden (played by Sam Rockwell). Haunted, she discovers a world in which the fiction she writes about in her novels mixes with reality.

The film’s plot is interspersed with sequences from Elly’s book, in which Agent Argylle is played by Henry Cavill. He is supported by his sidekick, who is played by former wrestler John Cena. Sideburns included.

The cast also prominently features Bryan Cranston and Samuel L. Jackson. There is also the singer Dua Lipa, who, after her mini appearance in “Barbie”, plays her first real film role here with a short femme fatale sequence.

The first thing you notice when watching ‘Argylle’ is the obvious kitsch (like the checks on an old Argyle sweater from which the film’s title takes its inspiration): from Henry Cavill’s haircut, to the general acting, to the unspeakable special effects that pepper most of the film’s action scenes. It’s surprising to still see these kinds of visual effects in 2024, considering you’d swear the movie was released twenty years ago. With a budget of around $200 million – as much as the best blockbusters have – you might wonder where all the money went.

The film isn’t that bad though, as it features some nice visual effects and fast-paced action scenes, even if they are often cringe-worthy. Particularly noteworthy is the choice of actress Bryce Dallas Howard, whose physique is far from Hollywood ideals. There is something very fresh and enjoyable about seeing a curvy woman doing stunts and crazy action scenes. The chemistry between her and the agent played by Sam Rockwell makes the duo a perfect team.

However, these few pleasant moments don’t save an uninspired, dovecote-like plot whose twists are obvious.

‘Argylle’ shines because of the director’s qualities: be it his inspired cast or his inventiveness in the action department. But this alone is not enough to save the film.

The film produced by Apple – a streaming service known for its high-quality productions – should have been released directly on their platform to save viewers the price of a movie ticket. The film currently has a 34 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes ratings platform. The critics agree: “Don’t go to the cinema, the movie is shit.”

“Argylle” has been in theaters since February 1. Duration: 135 minutes.