Adorned in shades of yellow and the face of a Scottish Fold tucked into a backpack, I couldn’t help but notice the newest movie poster in the theatre’s display case: Argylle.
Immediately, I rushed to YouTube to watch the trailer and was met with something I wasn’t disappointed with. The preview was filled with humor, sass, and espionage, and I knew I had to see the film.
So, I did. On February 2, 2024, Argylle’s release date, I leaned back in the relaxing, red, recliner chair of the local theater for two hours and 19 minutes, watching an action-filled catastrophe unfold before my eyes.
The premise of Argylle isn’t entirely terrible. The movie is conceptually about a woman named Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who wrote a famous book series, Argylle, about a spy who realizes there is corruption in the system. Though she originally lives a life of introversion, Elly is quickly catapulted into the world of espionage as it is discovered that her books accurately depict confidential information.
I called Argylle a catastrophe for one main reason—it’s confusing. The plot that exists is initially easy to follow until a series of plot twists unfurl and introduces a completely different storyline. While a lot of movies can pull this off, Argylle simply does not.
If the film were to transition into each plot change smoothly, it would probably be better. Alas, this isn’t the case, and every time the storyline shifts, it feels sudden, artificial, and forced, leaving me bewildered about what I should be paying attention to.
Still, aside from the sporadic storylines, Argylle is truly enjoyable to watch. The trailer did not falsely advertise; the movie is incredibly corny and action-packed, leaving viewers entertained and the theater filled with laughter, and it is particularly colorful.
One specific color—yellow—is constantly present in the film. I appreciated this element of Argylle, as it indirectly highlights aspects of characters’ personalities that become more prominent as the movie continues. For example, Elly is constantly anxiety-ridden, and her sidekick, Aiden (Sam Rockwell), is quite enthusiastic and confident; these emotions are often associated with yellow.
Speaking of Aiden—he is my favorite character by far. Not only does he foil almost every intense situation with a charming smile or witty remark, but he also delivers a lot of the plot twists that are essential to the story.
While Aiden is my favorite character, Alfie is my favorite cat. You heard me right; remember that poster with the Scottish Fold in the backpack? That feline friend turns out to be Elly’s companion, and he is impressively vital to a lot of the occurrences in Argylle. Elly has a hampering bond with Alfie that actually proves to be quite useful, as this unhealthy attachment continuously motivates her throughout the film.
Argylle consistently proves its humor to its audience, and that is only augmented by the soundtrack. Every moment is accompanied by a whimsical, bouncy melody that creates a lighthearted atmosphere. In combination with the occasional slo-mo scenes and the outrageously straight-on cinematography, the entire movie feels dramatic yet comedic.
Overall, I love Argylle. Though at times it seems disorganized and overly cheesy, it truly is a wonderful movie to watch if you’re looking for a film that’s funny, intriguing, and outright fun. And for cat lovers—-Alfie is an added bonus.
