Bryce Dallas Howard and Samuel L. Jackson in “Argylle”.Photo:Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
NOTE: This story contains major spoilers forArgylle, in theaters now.
Posters forArgylle, a new spy thriller fromKingsmandirector Matthew Vaughn, promise a major plot twist: “Once you know the secret, don’t let the cat out of the bag.” (It’s also a nod to the pet cat that spends much of the film in a backpack.)
The movie begins withBryce Dallas Howardas a famous author named Elly Conway, who spends her reclusive life writing spy novels, her mother (Catherine O’Hara) serving as her long-distance beta reader.
After meeting a real-life spy on a train — Sam Rockwell’s Aidan — Elly finds herself in the middle of high-stakes espionage similar to her books. In fact, the villainous Ritter (Bryan Cranston) wants to catch Elly since her spy novels have proven to be predictive of actual global events.
Fansknow all of the above from the trailers. It’s a surprise plot twist revealed halfway into the film, though, that shakes things up: Elly is actually a highly-trained, elite spy with amnesia, and her book storylines are her memories (and valuable top-secret intel) spilling out from her subconscious. Even she can’t believe the truth at first.
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The twist is not unlike the 1996 Geena Davis filmThe Long Kiss Goodnight, which also starredSamuel L. Jackson. Here, Jackson is former CIA deputy director Alfred Solomon, the one who helps Elly remember she is Rachel, aka Agent R.
Meanwhile, Cranston is revealed to be the man Elly thought to be her father. He infiltrated her fake life and brainwashed Rachel into taking on the Elly persona with help from O’Hara’s “Ruth,” also undercover, not her real mom.
Howard’s character Rachel, after some back-and-forth allegiance-switching, remembers her impressive skills and which side she’s on, ultimately saving the day at the last possible minute.
Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard in “Argylle”.Universal Pictures
Director Vaughn previously expressed wanting to make an expanded cinematic universe of spy films. He’s behind 2014’sKingsman: The Secret Service,2017’sKingsman: The Golden Circleand the 2021 prequelThe King’s Man.(Jackson and Sofia Boutella appear in bothArgylleandKingsmanfilms as different characters.)
A mid-credits scene shows a flashback featuring a man named Aubrey Argylle and a bar called The King’s Man. It’s also a connection to themovie tie-in bookArgylle, available in real life, with “Elly Conway” ID’d as its author. (No,Taylor Swift did not write it, the cast and crew promise.)
Henry Cavill and John Cena in “Argylle”.Universal Pictures
In aVarietyinterview, when asked about a potential sequel, Rockwell said“I guess we just want to see how it does,” as Cavill added that it “all depends on whether the audience likes what we’ve done. … If Matthew comes calling, I’d certainly say yes.”
About futureArgylleinstallments, Vaughn recently toldTotal Film, “This has been a very enjoyable experience and one that I’d love to continue playing in, and I know the actors would love to continue. So that is up to the public, if they give us a thumbs up, we will give them another one. If they give us a thumbs down, we will just, you know, imagine what it would have been like.”
Bryce Dallas Howard in “Argylle”.Universal Pictures
Back in 2022,Jurassic WorldstarHoward teased that she was excited to show off her action skillsinArgylle, though she couldn’t elaborate on her top-secret character arc at the time. She described the film as “pretty bananas.”
“I would love to [do more action films], yes. I just finished filming a Matthew Vaughn film that had a tremendous amount of action,” she said at the time. “I was very, very, very excited about that because I have a background in martial arts. So I was like, ‘Okay, it only took like 30 years, but it’s fine. I’m throwing a punch!’ "
source: people.com
