Saturday, February 3, 2024

Argylle Review!

Argylle is another Matthew Vaughn directed, crazy action movie with spies, questions about identity, and laughs! Elly Conway is the mysterious author of the Argylle: A Novel (2024). Vaughn launched his spy action series with Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) which also had a comic book series, The Secret Service, which had a concept by Vaughn and writer, Mark Millar, with art by Dave Gibbons. The film is written by Jason Fuchs, who has a cameo in the film, he co-wrote Wonder Woman (2017). We see the Argylle logo and then Agent Argylle appearing with the sun shining behind him. He of course is played by Henry Cavill played August Walker in Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018). 



Cavill has all of the style of a secret agent, but the part is a satire of James Bond. The character is perfectly absurd that Bond would be limiting for Vaughn. Argylle makes his way through the club and sees a woman in a gold dress, Lagrange (Dua Lipa). The singer was also in Barbie (2023). She is perfect as the femme fatale. Argylle asks her to dance and they have a special dance. Then, the entire club pulls guns on the agent and Lagrange gestures for his gun. Argylle on his wireless asks for help from his fellow agent. Keira (Ariana DeBose) is working to patch into the club’s systems. DeBose also stars in this year’s sci fi thriller, I.S.S. She is the tech personnel for missions like Q. 


Keira activates the extinguishers that covers the room and Argylle shoots out the gunmen. Vaughn handles action scenes with one person taking on dozens of enemies with a fun style and great music. In this case, it is Barry White’s “You’re My Everything.” Vaughn working with composer Lorne Balfe put together a vibrant soundtrack. It also has the Beatles unreleased song, “Now and Then” that is part of Bryce Dallas Howard’s character and the end credit song, “Electric Energy” by Boy George, de Bose, and Nile Rogers. Argylle walks out to join Keira in her yellow mini-car. They find Lagrange with a machine gun. She shoots on them and then drives away. 


There is a tracking shot as Lagrange weaves the street down the mountain. Argylle has recovered and checks on Keira. Argylle is ordered by a mysterious boss to capture Lagrange. The mini-car does remind me of the chase in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), but Vaughn takes it to whole new level! Argylle starts on the chase plowing through buildings to cut the curve of the road. Also, he drives on the space between the rooftop of houses to pursue Lagrange! He contacts another agent, Wyatt (John Cena) that Lagrange is getting away. Cena starred with Jackie Chan in the action movie, Hidden Strike (2023), and also co-starred in BarbieHe is busy sipping his coffee. 


Wyatt stands up and then pulls away Lagrange from her motorcycle! At the cafe, Argylle and Wyatt ask Lagrange about how she knew about them. Wyatt has his gun pointed to her and Lagrange unlocks a recovered phone with a retina scan. Instead she takes a drop of poison from her necklace. This goes to a clever dissolve to Bryce Dallas Howard’s Elly Conway! Howard has been in action roles as Claire Dearing in Jurassic World Dominion (2022), but gives her the spy angle. Elly is a shy, quiet person, but her brilliance is her knowledge of spies. She is at an Argylle book launch reading in Colorado. Elly has read from her latest, fourth book. 


It is interesting to see that statues of her book characters. Elly mentions taking elements of her life like a skating accident. She is asked about predicting “real life events” by a fan, Zoe (Alaa Habib) which Elly says is due to her research. Another fan, Carlos (Tomás Paredes), mentions that John le Carré, author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974) and Ian Fleming, the writer of James Bond novels, were real life spies. Paredes is a stunt man who also did stunts in The King’s Man (2021) directed by Vaughn. Elly says she is just a writer. The talk about the identity of the real Elly Conway is amusing, Vaughn has stated that there is a real Elly Conway. 


The director wanted the author to “come out of the shadows.” Apparently, the identity was revealed by the Daily Telegraph, the UK newspaper. Elly is asked if she is available for a date and she says she already has a date. This shifts to Elly kissing her cat, Alfie, which led to the Taylor Swift rumors. The cat is in real life, Chip, who belongs to Vaughn’s daughter. Elly’s lakeside house is nestled in the mountains. She writes about the key to the world’s master file. Elly takes a break going into a yoga position whn she gets a call from her mother, Ruth, played by Catherine O’Hara. In her kitchen, Ruth says she has read the last book, but wants Argylle to find the master key. 



Elly says it ended on a cliffhanger, but her mother says it is a cop out. Her daughter says the ending is set in London. She is going to wok on the book with only one more chapter to write. The writing continues to Hong Kong where Agent Argylle meets with Ms. Li Na (Jing Lusi). The actress was in Heart of Stone (2023), a spy action movie. Argylle and Ms. Li are looking at the night skyline as fireworks are about to begin. His line to Ms. Li is disliked by Elly and she attempts to try to give her character another line of dialogue. Elly can’t get past this scene. I like the struggle of a writer seen in film. She calls her mother to tell her that she is on the way to see her in Chicago.  



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