Mystery Movie Review - Argylle

 Argylle (pronounced Are-Gile). As part of the marketing for this movie, an espionage book series has begun under the pen name Elly Conway (the author in the movie).  I reviewed the book (click here).  In July 2021, it was announced that Argylle was intended to be first of a series of at least three films.

Movie Blurb: "Elly Conway, an introverted spy novelist who seldom leaves her home, is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books get a little too close to the activities of a sinister underground syndicate. When Aiden, a spy, shows up to save her (he claims) from being kidnapped or killed (maybe both), Elly and her beloved cat Alfie are plunged into a covert world where nothing, and no one, is what it seems."

What's It About?:  This is a spoof on the spy genre of movies with plenty of laughs and near soap opera twists with a few over the top scenes (I'm thinking of the ice skating scene).  It is reminiscent of James Bond and Jason Bourne with a touch of Maxwell Smart thrown in for laughs.  

Taglines:

Once you know the secret don't let the cat out of the bag. (refers to the ultimate twist in the story--shhh)

The greater the spy, the bigger the lie.

____________________________

PG-13 , 2h 19m

Director Matthew Vaughn

Writer Jason Fuchs

Starring:

Henry Cavill as Argylle

Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway

Sam Rockwell as Aidan Wilde

Samuel L. Jackson as Alfie

Bryan Cranston as Director Ritter

Dua Lipa as Lagrange

Ariana DeBose as Keira

The cast features two Oscar winners (Sam Rockwell and Ariana DeBose) and three Oscar nominees (Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, and Richard E. Grant)

Reviews:

Critics Consensus generally poor

Argylle gets some mileage out of its silly, energetic spin on the spy thriller, but ultimately wears out its welcome with a convoluted plot and overlong runtime. 

Audience Says

Argylle is an entertaining spy comedy with over-the-top action and plenty of surprises, although the fun starts to run out toward the end of its overlong runtime.

"Simultaneously cleverly complex and gleefully shallow, this slick, twisty spy movie borrows bits and pieces from earlier movies but links them together in a surprising and entertaining way." Jeffrey Anderson of Common Sense Media

"It's best to not take this film too seriously and allow yourself to enjoy the ridiculous ride. "Argylle" is a fast-paced, witty, and action-packed spy comedy that's well worth seeing on the big screen." Susan Kamyab of AWFJ.org

"Argylle ultimately buckles under the weight of its own ambition, and the end result is a messy, overlong (if entertaining) romp." Lauren Coates of Chicago Reader

"It probably should have been 30 minutes shorter, but it's fun." Lael Loewenstein of FilmWeek (KPCC-NPR Los Angeles).

Trivia:

Matthew Vaughn cast Henry Cavill because "he needed someone who was born to play James Bond - which Henry is - and then nick him before Bond's studio did." Cavill was in fact a finalist to play Bond in Casino Royale (2006), but was rejected for being too young (he was then 22).

The very last scene, just as the credits begin, is a scene from the actual book and is teased it will be the next movie.  

Alfie the Cat is played by Chip, owned by Matthew Vaughn's wife Claudia Schiffer. Alfie the cat is a Scottish Fold breed.

Henry Cavill is allergic to cats.

This is the fourth spy film for Henry Cavill. The other three are: The Cold Light of Day (2012), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018).

Argylle (pronounced Are-Gile) is named after the limo driver from the first Die Hard movie.  I love this one little tidbit 😀

When Argylle is talking to the agent on the Hong Kong rooftop, he says "No time to Die". The name of a Bond movie. 

Matthew Vaughn secured the rights to The Beatles' song "Now and Then" a year before it was released. "Now and Then," is featured prominently throughout the movie. The song, which was finished in 2023 by surviving band members Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr, has its origins in 1977, when it was written and sung by late member John Lennon on a demo cassette. During the Beatles Anthology in 1995, members including guitarist George Harrison worked on the song, but couldn't get the sound quality good enough to be released. Sir Peter Jackson, fresh off the hit Disney+ series The Beatles: Get Back (2021), used cutting edge machine learning technology to make the song possible by isolating vocals by Lennon. The song was released in November 2023, three months before this movie.  **I personally thought that tied in with Paul McCartney and Wings doing "Live and Let Die" for the James Bond movie of the same title.

In October 2023, Matthew Vaughn announced his plans to create a larger spy-themed universe through his Marv Studios, with that universe being interconnected and comprising the Kingsman films, the Argylle films, and an unnamed third series. His intention was to have the new upcoming films in each series culminate in a crossover in the future.

Before Elly and Aidan leave for Saudi Arabia, Alfie (Samuel L. Jackson) tells them "Let's get you suited and booted!" The phrase 'Suited and Booted' was previously used as the marketing tagline for Kingsman 2.

Director Matthew Vaughn describes this movie as his ode to 1980s action movies like Die Hard (1988) and Lethal Weapon (1987).

Jason Fuchs, who is credited as the writer for Argylle, makes a brief appearance as the moderator for Elly Conway's book readings.

At one point, Bryce Dallas Howard's character kicks off her high heels and changes into more durable boots. This may be a tongue-in-cheek reference to one of her previous films, 'Jurassic World,' in which her character was mocked by fans for wearing high heels while trudging through a jungle.

When Elly arrives at the Savoy and sits on an armchair, there are three books that can be prominently seen on a bookshelf behind her. The most prominent book stands out starkly in red, and is titled 'Claudia Schiffer.' The director, Matthew Vaughn, is married to Claudia Schiffer.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit I haven't laughed that much in a long time.  I will also admit it could have dropped 30 minutes and been better off for it, particularly if they lost at least one twist (out of something like 11 twists) and a convoluted scene and shortened several others.  With that all said, it has an all star cast and they pulled it off in spite of those draw backs. 

I love the music and many of the camera shots were impressive. The CGI was a bit obvious in a few shots, even for me. 

With that all said, I am really looking forward to the next movie, which from the post credit teaser (click here) seems it will be based on the book with Agent Argylle's origin story.  If that's the case, it will be a good solid spy plot with action.  That teaser scene is shortly before he is recruited by the CIA.

I also have to confess that Matthew Vaughn isn't my favorite director because the Kingsmen movies were just too graphically violent for me, so I appreciated this movie not being so graphic.  Vaughn better not make the next Argylle movie graphic and violent or I'm going to be really pissed.  I recommend it, but keep in mind it is a spoof, over-the-top, and it's a little too long.

The Official Trailer

Review - Argylle

Remember the popular television show Castle about a bestselling novelist who rides along/shadows a NY city homicide detective to get inspiration for his next crime series?  Remember how actual novels were written to tie into the television show under the name Richard Castle?  Today I review the novel spinoff from the recent movie Argylle staring Henry Caville, Samuel L Jackson, Bryan Cranston, and Sam Rockwell that is the same situation as the Castle inspired novels.  The movie was conceived... and then the book became a marketing tactic or extension of the movie.  The movie concept is a popular author of spy novels, Elly Conway, is in the eye of the CIA for how plausible the plots are in her novel.  

There was some excitement for a hot minute over who was the actual author until it was revealed that Australian novelist and screenwriter Terry Hayes and British author Tammy Cohen  wrote the book under the pseudonym Elly Conway at the request of  Director Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: Secret Service).

Let's find out how the book does on its own as a spy novel.  FYI, I will be watching the movie and reviewing it shortly, but I wanted to read the book first.  It is rumored the book will be a series, but I will list it as standalone for now.

Author: Elly Conway

Copyright: Jan 2024 (Bantam) 384 pgs

Series: Standalone at this point

Sensuality: some violence, not graphic

Mystery Sub-genre: Espionage, spy, intrigue

Main Character: Aubrey Argylle, Parents were hippies who were killed when he was a teen, living in a shack leading tours to Budhist temple in Thailand then recruited by CIA

Setting: Modern day, Thailand Jungle, Poland, Germany, Monaco, Greece

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

 

Book Blurb:  "One Russian magnate's dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events which will take the world to the brink of chaos. Only Frances Coffey, the CIA's most legendary spymaster, can prevent it. But to do so, she needs someone special.

Enter Argylle. His life came to a crashing halt as a teenager. Since then he has been treading water, building barriers between himself and the world. Until one moment of compassion and brilliance will bring him to the attention of the most powerful woman in the secret world.

Coffey knows all about Argylle's dark past. She knows it haunts him. But she also knows it may give him the skills to join the team going up against one of the most powerful men in the world. His crash course in espionage will take him from the jungles of Thailand to the boulevards of Monaco, from the monasteries of Mount Athos to a forgotten cavern buried deep in the mountains.

It is a deathly rollercoaster ride that will either make him - or break him..."

My Thoughts:  

Aubrey Argylle is a slacker living a bare-bones existance until events show he has everything necessary to be a successful spy.  Frances Coffey, struggling to stop smoking thoughout, lives and breathes the job. She started in the file room and worked her way up to director.  This isn't a 007 lone operative situation, Aubrey has to work within a 12 person team.  Vasily Federov, soul-less Russian Oligarch characterized with "dead" eyes and a vicious calculating nature, is the world threat.  Federov is, to me at least, a Putin character that was changed just enough to not get slapped for using him.  His dead eyes and ruthlessness are in line with prior KGB cut throat who throws opponents out windows.

  The first several chapters are about how Aubrey Argylle gets recruited by the CIA, then training with the twelve member team. It is an established team with Aubrey replacing one team member who had been imprisoned a few months prior for spying against the US, so everyone's on edge.  Aubrey is a loner mostly and has a hard time learning to work as a team, and many on the team don't like nor trust Aubrey.  I liked seeing how this long-haired slacker gets recruited into the CIA and then what it took to get the team dynamic to work.

Thriller and espionage novels get a bad reputation as being all flashy plot and not much character development.  I'll grant you that this book wasn't primarily character focused, but it had enough to give Argylle some depth when it came to his childhood and his untraditional parents.  It was also enough for me to be vested in Frances Coffey as the spy-master.  Could there have been more time spent on character development, perhaps, but it might have slowed the story down too much.

This is a case of a traditionally published book with poor editing.  There were several instances of missed typos and such. If such occurances are a deal-breaker to you, don't read the book.  I noticed them but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the rest of the book.  There are occurances of European spelling usage and since an Australian and a Brit wrote it, I'll give them that.  The emphasis isn't on pretty prose either.

It has plenty of action, suspense, a twist or two, and character rivalry.  Secret codes and risky assignments keep the pacing rocketing along.  Chapters change point-of-view, but I like that style to keep it exciting.  It shows how a US versus Russia cold war never really ended with the Berlin wall coming down, only changed the nature of the cold war to a more modern version.

To some degree the legendary Russian Amber Room (called the eighth wonder of the world) is part of the plot, and it fascinated me enough to look into the history of it further.  That is a compliment to the authors that it was presented in a way that made history interesting.

Rating: Good - A fun read I found very entertaining. The errors might throw some people, but the plot and characters were well done with excellent pacing.

Here is a short video on the amazing Amber Room.

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.