Argylle (2024)

Written by r96sk on February 22, 2024

Such a peculiar film. Everything about it feels off.

I was initially a little unsure as to what I thought about 'Argylle', but in the end: it's a no from me. I couldn't actually tell you one thing that I properly liked about this, like at a push Sam Rockwell and Bryan Cranston are decent but even they get a bit hit-and-miss. There's just a constant tinge of lousiness that follows around throughout.

Bryce Dallas Howard feels miscast, even if she is fairly likeable. Henry Cavill is wooden (intentionally? doubtful), as is Dua Lipa but the musician has enough charm to make it work slightly. Speaking of music, all that is used here is alright but again feels off - mostly seems like the correct type of song, just the wrong exact choice of song... "Electric Energy" might grow on me, though.

What also doesn't help is the unavoidable feeling that it is a bad redo of 'Kingsman', which is expected given who directed this and all that they are planning with the two flicks behind the scenes. I'm all for a shared universe, though this is perhaps too on the nose. There are also 'The Lost City' (itself echoing 'Nim's Island') vibes sprinkled in too. Another negative is the special effects, especially at the start... less said, the better.

Overall, I think it all boils down to being a poor film - unfortunately, as I kinda wanted to like it but simply couldn't. Actually, it's just come to me, I just remembered a scene I actually did truly enjoy: the one with Leona Lewis' "Run" track. That was actually entertaining.