Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller Argylle premieres in Irish cinemas today, February 1.
The film follows an introverted novelist Elly Conway, as she gets wrapped up in the real-life events of her book, Argylle.
Promoted as an action-packed tale of espionage, the film features a stellar cast, including Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena and singer Dua Lipa.
From the outset, the film’s ensemble cast had me nervous – what is the film lacking that it needs to require a host of huge stars for its promotion?
It’s cast also surprised me as it features a mix of actors who usually star in quite serious, dramatic roles such as Sam Rockwell and Samuel L. Jackson.
They’re association with the likes of John Cena, who usually stars in comedies and Dua Lipa who has had no previous acting experience, had me sceptical.
The film uses typical spy-thriller tropes, a genre which has its roots in the espionage novels and thrillers of the early 20th century – particularly made popular by Ian Fleming’s James Bond franchise which began with the novel, Casino Royale in 1953.
It definitely utilised the genre’s characteristics effectively – double agents, deep cover operations, race against time, lone wolf operatives, with a romance thrown in too.
However, unlike its spy-thriller predecessors such as Bridge of Spies or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this was definitely a more comedic approach to the genre.
There were some laugh-out-loud moments, depending on your type of humour – particularly by Sam Rockwell who stars as the film’s witty spy, Aidan.
While I admired its nods to the likes of Ian Fleming and John Buchan’s work, its twist and turns, like every spy-thriller, I felt was overdone.
Without spoilers, the script seemed to go back and forth in what is was trying to depict and at times, I felt this could be confusing for audiences.
The editing, however, was very impressive – it did cost a whopping $200 million to make after all!
Argylle, in many ways, is simply your classic escapism flick, made to make viewers laugh and enter a world very different than their own.
There is nothing wrong with films like this, after all these were why the movies were invented, although in terms of narrative and what the film is trying to depict, these elements could be seen as the film’s downfall by those who want to be left with something to contemplate.
The only thing that saves its lack of narrative structure is the film’s comedy, which helps the film strive away from the fact it’s not a serious depiction of the classic spy genre.
Some may consider elements to the film cringy which begs me to ask the question – is Argylle a homage to the classic espionage tales or simply a revamped parody?
