Tag: spy spoof

ARGYLLE – Review

L to R: Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, and John Cena in ARGYLLE, directed by Matthew Vaughn

It feels as though there are one, or two, films that want to “push” against the standard movie-releasing rules as January slowly (with those recent temps it feels like crawling) gives way to February. The big splashy noisy action blockbusters are supposed to be waiting in the wings for the warmer times, but since this is from “Marv maverick” Matthew Vaughn, of course it’s not going to adhere to anyone’s rules. The guiding force behind the KINGSMAN and KING’S MAN franchises (and a pivotal entry in the X_MEN multiverse) attempts to get another series going by mixing in a bit more comedy and even a touch of romance and fantasy as he hopes we will be swept up in the world of ARGYLLE.


And just what does the title mean? In the first few minutes we learn that it’s the moniker of a globe-trotting “super-spy” (Henry Cavill), who favors a velvet suit rather than the patterned sweaters. When we meet him, he’s trying to capture a sultry blonde assassin, Lagrange (Dua Lipa). And with the help of his “muscle” Wyatt (John Cena) and computer whiz Kiera (Ariana DeBose), it’s “mission accomplished”, until they learn that their target was actually working with their boss in “the agency’. But then Argylle’s narrative voice segues into a woman’s voice, that of Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is reading the last line of her newest espionage thriller (the fifth in a series of best sellers) at her local bookstore in Colorado. From there it’s back to her quiet country home on the lake, buffeted by the mountains, as she finishes the sixth book, aided by her constant companion, a Scottish Fold cat named Alfie. The still night is interrupted by a “face-time” call from Elly’s mom Ruth (Catherine O’Hara) who isn’t pleased with the draft of the new tome. Agreeing that it needs a new chapter for a better ending, Ruth says that she’ll fly out for a visit. But Elly throws her a curve by boarding a Chicago-bound train. As the train departs, she’s joined by an off-putting scraggly fan named Aidan (Sam Rockwell) who explains that he’s a real spy and that Elly’s books have real-life counterparts. Elly scoffs until Aidan saves her from the countless skilled killers in the passenger car. As they escape, Aidan tells her that she must finish the new story, in order to thwart the forces that want to silence the duo forever. Somehow Elly’s creations are indeed true, and the reclusive writer must call upon her inner agent Argylle to survive.

As the timid and awkward “future cat lady” Elly, Howard displays the full range of her acting prowess, jumping right from comic annoyance to stark skittish terror to reluctant daredevil (hey she could wear high heels and evade dinosaurs in a recent trilogy) as the “normal” plunged into this “netherworld”. She’s certainly the heart of this flick as the vulnerable author turned adventurer. It helps that her guide is the ultra-cool and wacky Aidan played with “loosey-goosey” charm to spare by the always interesting “wild card” Rockwell, a nice “switcheroo” on the cliffhanging hero. More like the cliche is Cavill as the “fictional” gentleman agent who seems to have everything under control, especially his razor-sharp “buzz” haircut. He’s a fun parody in the opening sequences and it’s always a treat to see him “pop in” for a few seconds to assure Elly as she sees him in a mirror before “blinking” him back into her brain. Bryan Cranston appears to be having lots of fun putting his own spin on the arch-enemy “mastermind” role of Ritter, head of the “Division”. O’Hara flexes her considerable comic “chops”‘ as Elly’s “hovering” and way too helpful mother (a twist on her HOME ALONE icon). Though they’re featured heavily in the marketing, Lipa (who sizzles on screen), DeBose, and Cena really have slightly elongated “cameos’ as the novel’s femme fatale, and sidekicks, respectfully. Much the same can be said of Sofia Boutella as the “Keeper of Secrets” and particularly Samuel L. Jackson in a role that’s an affable, amiable “Nick Fury-lite”.

Vaughn gives the opening Bondian set-piece a real “sugar rush” jolt of giddy energy pouring on his hyper-stylized campy stunt flourishes. It almost makes us wish that he could bring that wild whimsey to a full-on spy satire ala the OSS-117 series (or another try at GET SMART). Then he switches gears into a manic spin on ROMANCING THE STONE with Elly and Aidan having a definitely deadly “meet cute”. Unfortunately, the script from Jason Fuchs begins piling on the double and triple crosses, attempting to dazzle us with its clever twists, but often coming off as illogical with characters changing behaviors “willy nilly”, with situations triggering responses that should’ve occurred earlier (not wanting to spoil). It wears us down long before the big third act stunt-heavy finale (paired with lotsa’ pop tunes) that has nearly five near-conclusions with a truly colorful showdown that would be sumptuous at a couple of minutes but comes off as self-indulgent “showboating” at nearly ten minutes. Luckily Vaughn (who has been de-clawed much like Alfie in order to get a more all-ages friendly PG-13 rating) keeps the comic close-ups of the obviously CGI kitty cat limited (it seemed like the trailers were “pushing’ it relentlessly), but the whole thing feels incredibly bloated at 139 minutes (didn’t FAST X teach us anything about action’thriller editing being needed). A dreary mid-credits bonus scene teases a follow-up, but this initial effort’s exhausting pacing and cliched “master plan” may make this the first and final mission for the mildly amusing agent ARGYLLE.

2 Out of 4

ARGYLLE is now playing in theatres everywhere

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN – Review

Rowan Atkinson as Johnny English and Ben Miller as Bough in JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN, a Focus Features release.

Let’s get straight to it: If you like Rowan Atkinson’s loopy parody of James Bond, JOHNNY ENGLISH, you’ll have fun with JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN, the third in the comedian’s series. If not, or you don’t care for Rowan Atkinson’s style of physical humor, particularly his “Mr. Bean” character rather than the one in the BBC show “Black Adder,” JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN won’t change your mind. There you have it.

If you are still with me now, there is a lot of fine, typically silly low-comedy fun, of the type in which Atkinson excels, in JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN. This time, Atkinson not only mocks the whole James Bond super spy franchise, but the fact that the James Bond character is so dated at this point. The premise is that a cyber attack has exposed all the names of MI-7’s spies, and now the British government is forced to call back retired agents to catch the villain.

Johnny English, still has confident as ever and just as clumsy, is teaching at a private school (what Brits call a public school) when he gets the call in to interview for the assignment. The ex-spy is supposed to be teaching history but he is really training his enthusiastic charges to be the next super spies. English is actually pretty good as a teacher, and his student’s adore him. But duty calls – or at least the Prime Minister, played by Emma Thompson.

English finds himself competing with a roomful of older spies, all more accomplished than him, played by an array of older male British stars. In his signature bumbling way, English manages to narrow the field down to just him.

Jake Lacy plays a tech billionaire named Volta that the Prime Minister is trying to recruit to help with the cyber attack and to partner with her on other high tech political projects. Meanwhile, traffic lights and other essential systems keep falling to the mysterious cyber attack.

Atkinson’s former spy is rather tech-challenged, so he conveniently decides the best way to catch the culprit is to go old school and analog. That choice allows him to reject the hybrid car offered to him in favor of a classic Aston Martin, giving Atkinson a chance to have a little fun with its gas-guzzling propensity.

Basically, the Johnny English character is really an Inspector Clouseau type, with the addition of the spy’s ever-present and supremely helpful assistant Bough (Ben Miller). But Atkinson whips up a bunch of clever and funny sight gags and routines within those confines. .In English’s absence, Bough has been stuck in a tiny office and consigned to doing paperwork, so he is thrilled to get back out in the field with his old boss.

In keeping with the Bond tradition, there are beautiful locations, fast driving and posh hotels, all of which the film does not skimp on. There are lots of gadgets (to go wrong), the requisite plot twists and betrayals, an evil genius villain and of course a “Bond girl,” played by Olga Kurylenko.

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN is all light and silly fun for Rowan Atkinson fans, as it pokes affectionate fun at the long-running Bond franchise.. At a brisk 88 minutes, the comedy is just the right length for a popcorn-munching distraction, and it is packed with Atkinson’s signature visual humor. It may be a digital-dependent world, but Rowan Atkinson’s analog-world spy shows the old dog still has some tricks up his well-tailored sleeve.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars