A car chase over rooftops, ice skating through an oil spill and a flying cat? Although that all sounds absurd (which it absolutely was) all of these aspects from “Argylle” made for a truly unique and enticing action-comedy film.
Following the ever-changing story of author Elly Conway, an author who specializes in spy novels, “Argylle” blurs the line between what is reality or illusion within Conway’s life. While she seeks inspiration for her newest novel, Conway is met with several extravagant fights and learns more about herself along the journey.
The film is full of witty humor and plot-twists. At times it felt difficult to comprehend every twist as one cohesive narrative, but I left the theater with a solid understanding of what happened. One thing that I found suspicious was the use of CGI – some scenes that utilized it were a little hokey-pokey.
Elly Conway is played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who I recognized from her appearance in the Netflix show “Black Mirror,” but others may recognize her from her appearances in the “Jurassic World” series. The cast also includes names like Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena and Dua Lipa.
“Argylle” is based on an actual novel titled “Argylle,” written by the real Elly Conway – but who is Ms. Conway? On Instagram, Conway is an ambiguous personality with no face. However, some of her mannerisms have pointed a particular fanbase to one conclusion: Elly Conway is Taylor Swift.
Although I had fun pointing out the possible references to Swift while watching the movie, I am not completely convinced that Swift is responsible for this story. Maybe Swift will elaborate on “Argylle” in a tell-all book in many years from now.
The film was directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, who also produced other series like X-Men or Kick-Ass (both of which I have not seen). “Argylle” was produced by Apple Original Films and Marv Studios, and was distributed by Universal Pictures.
Although “Argylle” received low rankings on Rotten Tomatoes (35% tomatometer score as of Feb. 2), I really enjoyed it. Perhaps it was because I had a mini hiatus from the movie theater for the past month and I was happy to be back, but I was thoroughly entertained by “Argylle.” I would give it four out of five stars.
There is a mid-credit scene that teases another installment in the “Argylle” movie series. This sequel will follow the plot of Conway’s first novel. Although I am no psychic, I predict that the sequel will struggle to make as big of a splash as its predecessor. However, I will be at the theater for its premiere.