Average Yet Hilarious—Review Of Argylle (2024)

Directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, Argylle (2024) turned out better than I expected, perhaps because it casts some familiar faces in the film industry. It was a joy to see Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Rockwell in action. That's a stellar cast in my opinion but the question remains—did they deliver?

Maybe we should title Matthew Vaughn the king of spy action comedies because he's good at them. Having seen the superb films: Snatch, Stardust, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and some X-Men films made by Vaughn, it's with the same confidence that I watched this new release. Per his style, this director takes his audience on a rollercoaster of action, espionage, gunfights and of course, plenty of good humour. Even better, he laces this film with unexpected twists and turns that keep the audience on their toes.

The plot is brilliant and impressively convoluted as such, not everyone might like this style. The storytelling is fascinating and well-executed. As each scene unfolds, you think you'll know what happens next but then Vaughn and his cast take us by surprise.

Onto the cast's performance, I was impressed, especially by Bryce Dallas Howard. She's spectacular in this film. I loved her acting in the Jurassic World series and she's getting better. She embodies the role of a spy/author excellently and her pet cat, Alfie, is simply adorable. I'm hoping to see her play the lead in more films. Samuel L. Jackson is great as always though he had little screen time but left an impression.

I'm used to seeing Henry Cavill as The Witcher, and Clark Kent/Superman, roles that make him look serious but as the imaginary Argylle, he's hilarious. What's more, his hair in this film is absolutely terrible. I wish Vaughn didn't do that to him.

The CGI is not bad but shaky in some parts. I commend the filmmakers for the editing trick they employed in creating Elly's real and imaginative scenes by interchanging Sam Rockwell's face with Henry Cavill's face. At first, we are not sure what's real and what's fantasy but as the film proceeds, it makes sense.

The film focuses on the theme ‘trust no one' which is enunciated by the saying “the greater the spy, the bigger the lie”. So watch out for that spy in your life and don't be quick to believe everything they say. Hehe.

Overall, Argylle is a terrific film full of twists, laughs, unexpected enemies and allies and cool action sequences, bringing to mind the Kingsman series. I love it and may watch it again. If you're a fan of action and spy movies, you'll enjoy this one. I'll give it 3 stars out of 5.

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