Argylle…a cinematic fashion statement
We’ve been seeing Argylle trailors for months now and anticipation abounds. As a well-seasoned moviegoer, I still bite when I see a good preview. Sometimes I’m the one bitten. The first Suicide Squad had me slavering like a hungry fox. Oh, the disappointment… But on this topic, I’ve resolved in my soul that I will never learn my lesson. So be it. And even though all the trailers CLEARLY said this was a Matthew Vaughn movie, I didn’t make the mental connection…Matthew Vaughn directed the Kingsman movies and they were fantastic! Diminishingly so, but still, each was a great watch.
I had the great pleasure of watching Argylle with not just my constant partner in crime, the fearless and fetching Mrs. Average Dude. We got a surprise visit from our son, who lives ‘out on the edge of the Louisiana Purchase’ and we enjoyed a super-quick burger and movie night. Bonus.
Argylle is the story of Ellie Conway, a novelist whose fiction niche is international intrigue and super-spy action, like a modern-day Ian Flemming. If you need me to tell you who that is and what he created, we can’t be friends. Ellie’s Bond-like character is Aubrey Argylle, played by Henry Cavill. Cavill is one of my favorites since Man of Steel. Here he is in my all-time favorite period piece, the Count of Monte Cristo.
But I digress. Cavill’s part in Argylle is not as extensive as the trailors would have us believe. It’s okay. His roll is important, none-the-less. Of greater import in this movie is Aiden, who CAT-apults Ellie (will that be my only dad joke today? Time will tell) into her own world of espionage. Aiden proceeds to do battle with several strangers on a train who are bent on killing one or both of them. Fun banter intermixed with standard but still great action sequences. The Average Dude abides.
I’m not going to say that Argylle is in any danger of being proclaimed as one of Matthew Vaughn’s greatest works. It definitely isn’t. But is it fun and light-hearted, as his movies tend to be? Absolutely. Do we need to unreasonably suspend disbelief during his action sequences? …..ehhhhh….yes and also no.
I personally love them
With many of Vaughn’s movies, there comes a point where the action sequences become more of a spectacle than probably any other action sequences in the history of cinema. Farcical doesn’t truly describe them and you either like them or you don’t. Think of this sequence from Kingsman the first and you’ll get what I’m on about.
And clearly, Matthew Vaughn likes working with certain stars. Sam Jackson has a small part in this movie that he could have just mailed in. Likewise for Sophia Boutella (sporting legs this time around). Not a knock at all. I kind of like a director that adds his own calling cards, as Vaughn is wont to do.
Like them or not, you have to admit they are unique. And colorful. And in 2024, finding something different and unapologetically gleeful is like finding folding money in the laundry…it makes your day. And in the end, that’s what I’m saying about Argylle. The anticipation did not overstep itself.
I know I’m asking for it…
Argylle is not without some major story flaws. And it sported a heroine that clearly isn’t in top form, shall we say? Lets say that. I have always been a fan of Bryce Dallas Howard…she was such a cutie in Jurasic Park Dominion. But come on! And I know I’m asking for a ton of hate for this take but it feels dishonest to NOT mention it. Did it detract from the movie experience? Yup.
Speaking for average dudes everywhere, we like our spies and superheroes to be buff. And we like our female buttkickers to be lean and mean, not soft and …well, there you have it. Call me what you want but you can’t call me a liar. Or a coward. Ignoring the glaring dissimilarity between BDH in Argylle and the last Jurassic movie feels dishonest. Not mentioning it seems like purposeful ignorance. Other than Kung Fu Panda, I can’t think of an overweight action star that we flock to see. I guess I just don’t get the point in casting against type for this kind of role. I said what I said.
In spite of all, the pluses did outnumber and outweigh (okay, I knew I had another one in me) the minuses. Cranston, Cena and O’Hare were serviceable. But the deal-sealer is Sam Rockwell, who slays in everything he does. And as usual, he includes a little bit of fancy footwork somewhere in the film. Nearly every ounce of levity was provided by him, with some slight assistance from a semi-CGI cat. The Average Dude family in attendance gives Argylle a thumbs up, and I’m giving Argylle my first 4/5 of the year.
And since I am your Average Dude, let me just say that I had no idea Matthew Vaughn was married to a supermodel/star…
Bravo, Matthew. Well done, sir. Hat’s are off to you.
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