Rob Reviews "Argylle"

There is a story that floats around out there that author Tom Clancy was approached by agents from the federal government because of the contents of some of his books.  Given the level of research he does for his stories, they thought he had access to some policies, procedures, and operations that he should not have been able to know about.  In Argylle, author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), simply says it’s all about the research as the same type of thing happens to her.

As she is trying to finish the final book in her spy series of the same name, she is approached on a train by Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who tells her that the things in her books are happening down to a top-secret organization trying to take over the world.  As he makes contact with her, she finds others coming after her to take her out, and Aidan convinces her to come with him for her protection.  As secrets are revealed, the lines of fantasy and reality are blurred as Elly just does her best to make it through the day.

Matthew Vaughan is full-on BACK with this film.  There are those that feel like he lost a step with The King’s Man (I am not amongst those ranks; I dug it), but getting together with writer Jason Fuchs (which was a gamble here with his biggest writing credits being Wonder Woman and Ice Age: Continental Drift) is a combination that brings a sonically paced script that brings the right amount of action, emotion, and funny.  There are more twists and turns in two hours and twenty minutes than there are in the chase scene in Bullitt, and I was here for all of it.  Howard takes Elly’s character arc and brings it to life in a way that is completely believable alongside Rockwell’s suave and debonair (for the most part) agent who may have an agenda of his own.  Paralleling her stories to her life are done well here too with Henry Cavill playing the title character alongside John Cena as his sidekick and some cool supporting characters that fill out a solid cast that really commits to making this film a high-octane thrill ride that is worthy of having Vaughan’s name on it.

Argylle is one of those films that is best viewed with a group of people that can enjoy it all at the same time.  The audience reactions at the screening I attended took a fun movie and made it that much more so, and whether it is seen in a theater (which it should be) or not, this is one of those that should be on your must-see list for sure.  I will definitely be revisiting it (perhaps even in a premium format) in its first run!