Argylle

Matthew Vaughn dives back into the espionage field but, somewhat surprisingly, comes off of the Kingsman franchise in favour of Argylle.

A film that was ostensibly advertised as being an adaptation but is actually not.

Instead, the ‘book’ on which the spy Agent Argylle is based becomes a bit of a MacGuffin in a film that delivers a more mainstream, more family friendly take on Kingsman and, potentially, sets up another franchise for Vaughn.

Confused? Don’t be.

Argylle is basically what happens if The Lost City meets Kingsman and gets onboard Bullet Train.

A pretty propulsive blockbuster where the author of the in-film book gets a taste of real-world espionage when a shady organisation wants to capture her because her latest novel gets a little too close to the truth for comfort.

Cue some ‘fish out of water’ stuff, a series of ever-escalating twists and reveals and a cameo list for the ages (but, unfortunately, one that leaves some of the biggest players with very little to do.)

It’s maybe not quite as smart as it thinks it is but the arch tone and knowing wink do work for it and it feels fairly fresh despite the whiffs of familiarity.

Sadly, those aforementioned three films all trump this one. Kingsman has the advantage of being the first on the scene and has a better sense of what it’s trying to spoof, The Lost City feels a little tighter and funnier and Bullet Train is far more stylish.

It also suffers from being overlong with certain aspects dragging in its item gathering plot and, after the main reveal of the piece, it feels like an age goes by before the fairly inevitable denouement.

Despite this, Argylle is fun, contains a stacked cast and is an enjoyable Saturday night watch. One where you’ll want the sequel to be greenlit.

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