With Argylle Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn presents his latest spy thriller today stands out above all for its absurd twists. Unfortunately, the word “prominent” here describes a troublemaker who attracts unpleasant attention with his antics. You’ll definitely get whiplash from all the twists and turns after going to the cinema. Anyone who dares to go on a wild trip despite the following (spoiler-free) warning can buy a ticket now.
Whatever you expect behind Argylle with Henry Cavill: you’re wrong
The introverted writer Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) writes spy stories about the perfect agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) and has built a comfortable life for herself, for which she hardly has to leave the house with her cat Alfie. But then he steps in without being asked real spy Aiden (Sam Rockwell) comes into her life and claims that her books almost clairvoyantly predict concrete conspiracies. Because Elly has come onto the radar of a crime syndicate, the two of them now have to escape and prevent something worse from happening.
Universal
Argylle
The central question that Matthew Vaughn asks in his film is: Who is the real Agent Argylle? Because if Elly’s novels are predictions, there must also be a real spy behind the fictional character. At least that’s the logic of the thriller, which goes on a criminal hunt with a cat in a backpack.
But what begins as a literary reality check, following the principle of The Hunt for the Green Diamond or The Lost City, takes on increasingly grotesque features in Argylle finally losing yourself completely in the ridiculousness.
Why Argylle overuses the love of film twists
Film twists are a nice thing. Who doesn’t fondly remember their “first time” watching Fight Club or The Sixth Sense and the feeling of wanting to watch the film again after the big twist? Argylle is not that kind of film. Instead of “Wow, that’s awesome” twists, Matthew Vaughn’s thriller offers more “Wow, that’s stupid” twists. And lots of it. If a new colorful surprise behind every corner If you wait, you’ll quickly get tired of it.
Universal
Argylle: Who are Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa and John Cena really?
Film twists are like the icing on the cake: when used correctly, they can turn a movie meal into a real treat. But with the twist inflation that Argylle is unleashing, the conversation will soon become too salty. Especially when the twists come marching in with colored plumes of smoke. At some point it just seems to be a matter of taking the absurdity one step further. At the latest when a character straps knives under his shoes in order to eliminate attackers while skating on a puddle of oil, the measure is complete. (You haven’t even heard of data transmission, the countdown of which has a pause button!)
In all fairness, Argylle does have a few good gags. After Codename UNCLE, Henry Cavill once again proves himself to be a veritable James Bond replacement. And Sam Rockwell is convincing as a top agent as well as in the homeless look or as a normal guy. But if the Groan moments outweigh laughterwe should probably admit that Henry Cavill’s hairstyle in Argylle is unfortunately not the most ridiculous thing we have to witness here.
The FSK 12 rating does the rest to make Matthew Vaughn’s latest adventure seem like a tame kitten after the violent outbursts of Kick-Ass or Kingsman 2. Like a pet that wants to ingratiate itself with its peculiar behavior. However, this way Argylle sacrifices its identity as a film on the altar of the twist storm.
In the end, the sobering question remains as to why we should care about the characters’ espionage escapades and identities when the thriller itself fails to develop a real profile beyond straining its own credibility.