Argylle

Author Elly Conway discovers that her spy books have more in common with reality than she thought, and that their hero, Argyle, may very well be real. But why does everyone suddenly want to kill her? Matthew Vaughn delivers another homage to spy action movies that is full of ideas and original action sequences, but this time perhaps so wild that it may be beyond tolerable for some. (01/02/2024)

It's fun, suspenseful, and seemingly a classic variation on The Man from Acapulco, but that's not the main thing. The main thing is the beautiful Bryce Dallas Howard (spoiler). This time, the marketing plays a game completely independent from the actual film. I'm really glad it's not another Kingsman: The Secret Service. Because there's only one Bob Saint-Clare. (01/02/2024)

If someone had told me face-to-face that Matthew Vaughn could make a movie that would disappoint me, I would have laughed them off. Well, not anymore. This movie was bad in so many ways. The script was desperately weak, and I can't fathom why Vaughn got involved. Sure, I can see the financial appeal, but did he really think it was worth it? Apparently, he did. Initially, it felt like a rip-off of The Man from Acapulco, and I definitely enjoyed the French version more. As the story unfolded, it took a different direction, which could have been fine if I had actually enjoyed the movie. But between the digital overload and the mostly unconvincing performances (except for Sam Rockwell, who couldn’t save it alone), I just couldn't find the fun. This movie just didn’t work for me. / Lesson learned: If you want to become a secret agent, train a cat. (16/05/2024)

A surprisingly uneven film that sometimes has reprehensibly little and other times too much. Bryce Dallas Howard doesn't seem believable in almost any mood (and she alternates several), while Sam Rockwell is believable as a spy who could keep up with Ethan Hunt. Matthew Vaughn tries very hard to entertain and dazzle, but the end result is almost boring, saved only with a grand finale set to the sound of a perfect symphonic version of “Now and Then”. And the ending? I was so confused I wanted to put on Tenet to calm myself. (17/02/2024)

Matthew Vaughn is successfully copying Zack Snyder's creative trajectory. He's not at the finish line yet, but he's getting close. A tiresome, mechanical layering of twists and turns (where no one can be able to tell if the film still makes any sense on any level by halfway through the running time at the latest) wrapped in a sometimes aesthetically repugnant package, complete with humour for first graders in elementary school. Even the acting doesn't work. As a director, Vaughn manages to give drive to at least some of the action scenes here, but far from all of them (e.g. the opening sequence on the train, switching between two actors, struck me as completely disjointed and ultimately annoying). (05/03/2024)