Typically, a movie with an all-star cast is expected to be very successful and entertaining. New spy film “Argylle” may be entertaining, but it has certainly not seen much success since its Feb. 2 debut.
According to Variety, the film made $18 million in its opening weekend and ranked number one at the box office. However, the film required around $200 million to make, so it is shaping up to be financially unsuccessful.
“Argylle” is a spy action comedy film that follows author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who discovers that the spy novels she writes follow real events happening in the spy world. Conway inevitably becomes entangled in their world and quickly finds herself on a journey with real-life spy Aidan Wylde (Sam Rockwell). Together, along with Conway’s cat Alfie, they try to figure out how to stop an organization called the Divison that is targeting Conway because of her novels.
In theory, the film’s plot is intriguing. While the film brought about much laughter and entertainment, it contained several hard-to-watch moments, and the running time was excessive to say the least.
While the film may be lacking in some aspects, others made up for it. Director Matthew Vaughn delivered an amazing soundtrack with the notable Beatles song “Now and Then” from their final record and the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance.” The all-star cast also helped keep the film from being completely exhausting from running time. Howard as Conway, whose character is a nervous, panic-stricken recluse, delivered well. However, Howard has certainly had better performances in her other works such as “The Help.”
Rockwell, without a doubt, brings the comedic value to the film and is arguably the best played character. Rockwell was a perfect light-hearted counterpart to Conway’s nervous and anxiety-ridden character. His many moments of seriousness turned laughter were a nice addition to the film.
Catherine O’Hara’s portrayal of Conway’s mother Ruth was a beautiful addition only at the beginning of the film. Her performance became lacking the longer the film went on but was still a fine performance overall. The same cannot be said for Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Director Ritter. Most of his lines felt forced and unnatural, not something you want to see from such a seasoned actor.
Some smaller performances, such as Henry Cavill as Argylle and John Cena as Wyatt, were still a nice addition. Cavill was excellent at playing yet another action hero, even if he was not seen very often. Cena was a light-hearted accent to Cavill’s character with not much to critique.
One of the nicest additions to this all-star cast was Samuel L. Jackson as Alfie. Jackson is loved for his portrayal of Nick Fury in the Marvel universe, and many fans were anticipating seeing him in another spy-related film. Jackson fits into his character beautifully and was the cherry on top of the cast.
Despite questionable moments, such as a particular dance scene towards the end, “Argylle” shapes up to be an okay film. If you want a comedy with a little spy action, “Argylle” is the film for you. If you want a true spy action with little comedy, I would steer elsewhere.
