Argylle (2024) is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine O’Hara, Ariana DeBose, and John Cena. The film follows Ellie Conway (Dallas Howard), the author of a popular book series that focuses on an international spy named Argylle. After encountering a man who claims to be a real-life spy (Rockwell), it is revealed to Ellie that a rouge government organization is pursuing her relentlessly. This is because Ellie’s books have inexplicably predicted real-life events. Since Ellie’s most recent book ended on a cliffhanger, interested parties are intent on finding her so she can reveal the location of files that could take down the rouge organization for good. As secrets are revealed, Ellie is forced to live the life that she had previously only written about. 

The performances are pretty much what you need them to be for this kind of movie, but unfortunately, few of them stand out. The casting of Rockwell and Dallas Howard in the lead roles was a smart choice. They’re two actors who can perfectly blend that line between drama and silliness, and they do just that in Argylle. Bryan Cranston and Samuel L. Jackson do their typical schtick, but the most fun performance was Catherine O’Hara as Ellie’s mom. She plays your typical ditzy and carefree mom character. It’s almost as if she smoked a whole bunch of pot before filming her scenes. It’s one of the few performances here that chews the scenery and actually succeeds. Not to mention, it’s also just smart casting to use the same actress who played the mom in Home Alone (1990). The most disappointing ingredient in the cast is unfortunately Henry Cavill as the titular Argylle. He’s all over the marketing for this movie and is used more as a story tool than an actual character. It’s just a strange choice to promise the inclusion of such a beloved actor and then barely use him. Maybe the point was to misdirect us and then subvert our expectations. Either way, I don’t feel like it achieves much except for disappointing certain viewers.

This movie is intentionally goofy from head to toe. Surprisingly, the movie is able to effectively balance these goofy elements with the more inherent dramatic tone of a spy film. Unfortunately, this only lasts for the first two acts. As soon as the third act begins, the film devolves into a cascade of silliness that just feels like it jumps the shark. Important action scenes are given outrageous hooks that just make the audience shake their heads. The goofy details in these scenes are fine as a silly idea, but they’re not good enough to sacrifice your climactic action scenes. It all feels a bit self-indulgent from director Matthew Vaughn. Speaking of silliness, the less-than-impressive CGI is just that. It looks heavily green-screened and I suspect most people will just say the CGI is “bad,” but I felt that it was less flawed considering that it sort of fits the movie’s tone of unreality. Maybe I’m just used to cheap-looking CGI in superhero films, but either way, it bothered me less than it normally would have.

I think a person’s enjoyment of this film depends on your answer to two questions. First: Can you enjoy a film that is intentionally bad/silly? Second: How much does a lack of logic bother you? The film is filled with plot holes and a lack of logic, but again, I feel that this is in line with the film’s goofy tone. That being said, it’s hard to justify plot holes and a lack of logic as a “creative choice.” Even silly films should pay attention to these things. When they’re ignored, it just feels like lazy writing. Speaking of the writing, the script needed a good bit of editing. It’s just far too long of a film, especially when considering the kind of film it is. Two hours max for a silly spy romp. 

Where the film does succeed is in its globe-trotting, “sacrifice everything for the sake of fun” attitude. With a majority of the film having this tendency, I was caught off guard by the film’s singular dramatic core. There’s a romantic element here that feels so out of whack with the rest of the silliness, that it’s confusing as to why it works so well. I think it acts as a breath of fresh air. There is something real to latch ourselves onto and we can therefore follow the characters without it feeling like a chore. 

Overall, this is a film with a lot of flaws that is unfortunately one of Matthew Vaughn’s most disappointing films. The plot is zany and filled with holes while certain creative choices fall completely flat. The film only saves itself by being extremely fun if you’re willing to submit to all of the relentless zaniness. If you don’t ask too many questions, it works well enough. That being said, this is more similar to Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) as opposed to Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) or Kick-Ass (2010). Someone at the studio needs to teach Matthew Vaughn about the word “enough.” C+