'Argylle' Leans Into Ridiculously Sticky, Bubblegum Fun

Matthew Vaughn's latest film, Argylle is a ridiculous romp and a total blast of an action comedy that bends the concept of the story within a story. Elly Conway’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) cozy, introverted life as a best-selling author of spy thrillers is detonated when her latest book makes her the target of an international spy agency. The film demands a hefty amount of suspension of disbelief but delivers rewards with satisfying plot twists and genuine humor; however, it also makes sure never to take itself too seriously.

For some perspective on how to approach this as a viewer, consider Exhibits A and B: Argylle contains both a dance sequence of death and an ice-skating sequence of death – which are fabulous and perfectly set to music.

Starting within Elly’s fictional world of secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill), a James Bond-style scenario explodes into a fully over-the-top chase scene that’s reminiscent of the Fast and Furious franchise and every spy film that came before it. This is the current final chapter of Elly’s book, which she is reading to an audience of devoted fans. However, her mother (Catherine O’Hara) says it needs one more. So Elly hops a train with her cat Alfie in a travel backpack, at which point the fun really begins with the introduction of Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), a real-life spy who’s there to intercept Elly from the team of assassins. After killing a seemingly never-ending stream of them, Wilde executes a daring and preposterous escape from the train with Elly and the cat.