{"id":21805,"date":"2024-02-02T23:30:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T04:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=21805"},"modified":"2024-02-02T23:30:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T04:30:44","slug":"the-surprisingly-action-packed-yawn-fest-of-argylle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=21805","title":{"rendered":"The Surprisingly Action Packed Yawn Fest of ‘Argylle’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo by Peter Mountain\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

Matthew Vaughn<\/a> is such an interesting filmmaker. He has made a slew of very well known and well regarded films since jumping into the director\u2019s chair. Yet, if you bring up his name to anyone who isn\u2019t a direct fan, they probably would ask, \u201cWho\u2019s that?”. Sure, they know his films, but they don\u2019t associate the filmmaker with the film. His new film, <\/span>Argylle<\/b><\/a>, is his first directorial effort since his debut, <\/span>Layer Cake<\/b><\/a>, that he hasn\u2019t co-written. It seems like the perfect vehicle to help spread his name to the mass public. Does it do enough to expand his brand?<\/span><\/p>\n

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a successful spy novel author. Book five in her hit series that follows the suave intelligence genius, Argylle, has just hit shelves. Receiving rave reviews, Elly is in no mood to stop as she already has book six already to go. A bit of a loner, Elly turns down offers to do anything with other people. Instead she stays home with her cat Alfie and work on finishing book six.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Struggling to come up with a good way to end the story, she speaks with her mother, Ruth (Catherine O’Hara). Ruth likes to help get Elly over the hump when she is in a writing rut. After deciding to meet up for the weekend to work on it together, Elly boards a train to visit her parents. Unexpectedly though, she is met with the presence of an avid fan, Aidan (<\/span>Sam Rockwell) who turns out to be a real spy there to save Elly from a group of assassins as her books seem to have been predicting the future of the international spy community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Argylle1,<\/p>\n

Photo by Peter Mountain\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

Though the stories have little in common when it comes to plot and presentation, <\/span>Argylle<\/b> is in many ways <\/span>Romancing the Stone<\/b> for a new generation. This is neither a good thing or a bad thing. But even as <\/span>Argylle<\/b> goes into some off the rails territory, it is hard to not reminisce over the brilliance of the 80\u2019s picture that is a much more enjoyable ride. <\/span>Argylle<\/b> isn\u2019t a disastrous failure, but it\u2019s dragged down by a few factors. And that stop it from being the fun romp it may think it is.<\/span><\/p>\n

139 minutes is an eternity when it comes to run times, especially in this day in age. Though, even if that is the case, <\/span>Argylle <\/b>feels like a lengthy watch. Its action scenes prior to the final act of the film are either too short or too long. The initial train sequence is a bit of fun. Punctuated by an unlikely song choice for a fight; which is Vaungh\u2019s calling to be honest. It persists through all the fights through the film, but doesn\u2019t seem to lock in like it does in his other films. When the film reaches its final uber choreographed set pieces\u2026you start to wish they were pushed a little more forward in the experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are plenty of twists and turns, red herrings and fake outs. The movie might have take a slightly different path, all of the big surprises are fairly obvious long before they are officially revealed. Laughs aren\u2019t wall to wall because the jokes either fall a little flat, or were shown in the trailers. It\u2019s a competent enough story to make sense in the world the story creates, but it never finds its own niche.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Argylle<\/p>\n

Photo by Peter Mountain\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

For as enjoyable Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson and the rest of the cast always are; their presence in <\/span>Argylle <\/b>sees them reaching no new grounds or notable performances. Especially since Sam Rockwell in many ways is reimagining his role from <\/span>Mr. Right<\/b>. Rockwell\u2019s aloof behavior and slick dance moves are always a great watch, but they don\u2019t overshadow the smaller things like some strange CGI cat shots.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of that being said, the jewel of <\/span>Argylle<\/b> is the always brilliant and undeniably genius, Catherine O’Hara. O\u2019Hara has always had an amazing range. But more modern audiences will typically connect with her improve work in Christopher Guests\u2019 mockumentary films. That’s when they aren\u2019t reliving the glory of the original Home Alone films. I\u2019ve been a fan of hers from the SCTV days and letting the audience see her do things I can\u2019t remember her ever doing is a goddamn goldmine and she kills it.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is nothing inherently wrong with <\/span>Argylle<\/b>. Maybe it is the promise of a bigger than life Matthew Vaughn adventure. It could be the wall to wall cast of talent. Or, it\u2019s the promise of a new twist in a familiar landscape. At the end of the day, <\/span>Argylle <\/b>just doesn\u2019t live up to any expectations. Leaving it in a hazy limbo of not great, but not awful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Grade: C+<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out more of Matthew’s articles.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the trailer of the film.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n