Matthew Vaughn had created his fair share of film franchises with Kick-Ass and The Kingsmen franchises under his belt, along with also doing an X-Men film. With Argylle he hopes to create another spy-centric franchise that fans of the others can get behind. It’s full of the same kind of zany humor and action sequences that made his other films so entertaining. This one does all of that just as good if not better than his previous movies.

Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) is on a mission to find a secret computer drive but he gets caught by LA Grange (Dua Lipa) and her men. With the help of his fellow agents Wyatt (John Cena) and Meera (Ariana Debose), he escapes the clutches of this Femme Fatale. He chases after LA Grange in a crazy chase sequence in Greece, but she gets away. This is the last chapter of the Fourth book in the Argylle series by author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard)

She is almost finished with her fifth book when things start to get crazy in her life. She is approached by a spy named Aiden  (Sam Rockwell) on a train who tells her that her books are predicting real events to happen. Regarding spy games that are going on in the world. She has a hard time figuring out who’s who, rather than who she can trust. She reluctantly trusts the Rockwell character, he informs her that what she calls the Directorate in her books is really called the Division in real life and they exist. They are after her because of her knowledge of the inner workings of their secret spy organization.

Vaughn infuses this film with plenty of the things that made so many of his other films so enjoyable. Hilarious spy games, banter between Rockwell and Howard, aging action sequences, and a few twists and turns viewers won’t expect. One scene in particular had me dying of laughter and that is a scene with Rickwell and Howard having to escape a fortified tanker ship by using various games to distract a series of thugs while also dancing. This reminded me of the church fight in The Kingsmen and the Quicksilver scene in X-Origins. There is a song at the forefront of this scene as well.

A few tricks that Vaughn uses to help tell this far-fetched spy story are memory loss and hallucinations.  Where the Howard character sees her literary hero in mirrors and windows as well as in her mind. He gives her plenty of advice and confidence to help her get through the crazy situation she’s found herself in. Along these, he also uses flashbacks to show the truth of what is actually going on around her. Also who she can truly trust and who she can’t. 

With a lot of Matthew Vaughn films, he assembles a big cast of actors. This movie is no different than the others in that regard. Along with the many I’ve mentioned already, a few more play key roles in the story. Cathrine O’Hara and Bryan Cranston play Elly’s parents and like this story/movie as a whole, they are hiding a big secret from her. Also, Samuel L Jackson works with Vaughn again, as Alfie a seasoned spy,  after his great work in The King’s Men as Valentine the sadistic tech magnet with a lisp. The cast in this film are all amazing in their various roles. Rockwell, Howard, and Cavill are the standouts though. They just seem to understand the crazy spy world they are in.

With most good spy movies they are globetrotting adventures, and Argylle is no different. This story spans the globe from Greece, Hong Kong, Chicago, Illinois to London and France. All of these locations gave a specific meaning to the story and all fit in nicely to what Vaughn and screenwriter Jason Fuchs are doing with this film. The far-flung story leans into all the spycraft perfectly.

Argylle is another fantastic film from Matthew Vaughn. It fits perfectly in with the good Kingman films Kick-Ass and X-Men Origins as a crowning achievement in his filmography.  He has a knack for attracting a lot of quality actors to his films that are better than expected. The zany humor and crazy action sequences are once again on display here and they don’t disappoint. This movie is going to be a big hit in February when it releases. That month seems to be a good month for Vaughn in the past. Universal and Apple will have a hit on their hands I’m sure of it. I laughed harder than I’ve been laughing in a while and the twists and turns of the story were a genuine surprise. I don’t think viewers will see them coming. This was a fun time at the theater.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen