Star-studded spy silliness.

With a history dating back to the dawn of cinema, there aren’t too many genres that have endured quite as hardily as the spy film. Whether a strait-laced John le Carré adaptation, a tongue-in-cheek Bond instalment, or Bourne-like grittiness, the spy thriller has not only survived but positively thrived through almost every cinematic era.

For better or worse, it’s a genre built around the kind of tropes, cliches, and familiarity that audiences will always be drawn to and will always turn up for. Like the survival of any long running genre, however, the spy film will be forever reliant on support from within the industry and from filmmakers, stars, and creatives willing to go to bat for it.

In the current cinematic climate when the very existence of something as overtly old fashioned as the spy thriller constantly teeters on a knife edge, these genre champions are as important now as they’ve ever been. And nowhere is this spy movie championing bigger or more vocal than with writer/director/producer Matthew Vaughn.

The life of introverted spy novelist, Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), is thrown into turmoil when the plots of her books get a little too close to the activities of a sinister underground syndicate. When charismatic spy, Aiden (Sam Rockwell), shows up to save her from being kidnapped and killed, Elly and her beloved cat, Alfie, are plunged into a covert world of espionage where nothing, and no one, is what it seems.

From gangster to fantasy via superheroes, Matthew Vaughn’s long and winding journey through the genres has taken him to all manner of weird and wonderful action-centric places. It’s a journey, however, that has undoubtedly hit cruise control in recent years, as the producer-turned-director has, for the past decade, found himself stuck in something of a spy safe zone.

From Kingsman on, Vaughn has found himself entrenched in the world of espionage, a deep groove that has certainly brought him much box office success, yet, as we approach Argylle a good ten years on from his first moves within the spy genre, it’s become abundantly clear that fatigue is beginning to set in. Returning to the super smooth, action-packed sleuth well for the fourth time in as many films, Vaughn’s affection for the genre is certainly commendable, however, it’s hard to avoid just how tired it all now feels.

While it has its tongue firmly lodged in its cheek throughout, Argylle’s overt desire to embrace the cliches and tropes that have followed the spy genre for decades makes it feel like one of the most comfortable films of Matthew Vaughn’s career. Leaning fully into the inherent naffness of his film’s set up, and fully free from the edgy, overtly leery demands of the Kingsman franchise, Argylle is a very safe product that, for all its issues, offers a not insignificant level of fun.

For the most part, Argylle’s overt goofiness works in its favour, instilling it with a lovable, irreverent charm that, for long stretches, manages to paper over its glaring cracks. This, however, only really takes you so far, and the spiralling ridiculousness of Argylle’s constantly contorting plot soon grows old.

Whether it’s the bad haircuts, awful suits, and shocking dialogue of its book-within-a-film portion, or the globetrotting sleuthing shenanigans of the core narrative, Argylle is pure, unfiltered stupidity. For much of the film’s first half, this stupidity actually works in its favour, with the plot bobbing freely between the antics of Elly Conway and her ridiculous, flat topped fictional creation, however, the further into the plot we go, the further your patience is likely to be stretched.

Basically, Argylle is a tonne of fun - until it’s not. As we head deeper and deeper into Elly’s adventures, the plot very rapidly trips over itself in an increasingly desperate attempt to keep us engaged. It’s from this moment on that Argylle’s absurdities go from charmingly wacky to downright grating.

To his credit, Matthew Vaughn knows how to put on a show, and Argylle is no exception. Vaughn is a director with an eye for big screen action like few others in the game, and Argylle marks another impressive showcase for these unique talents, as its bombastic, old fashioned blockbuster energy and fun fight sequences demand viewing on the largest screen possible.

That said, like any modern big budget blockbuster, CGI can be found everywhere in Argylle, and while much of it is perfectly passable, there are certainly stretches where the visuals appear undercooked and frustratingly unfinished. It’s a problem that seems to haunt almost every major action movie these days, and Argylle finds itself caught in the same trap as, despite Vaughn’s prodigious action chops, it often struggles to offer significant tangible action for its cast (and its audience) to get their teeth into.

Which is a great shame, as this cast feels about as stacked as one could possibly hope for. Leading the line well, Bryce Dallas Howard does a stand-up job holding the whole crazy show together as she manages to hold her own amidst a dauntingly star-studded ensemble.

Charming, witty, and endearing but not afraid to get stuck into the action, Argylle feels like a real moment for Howard as she completely buys into the film’s silliness and proves she’s both able and willing to lead a huge blockbuster such as this. She may not be the biggest name in Hollywood, but the decision from Vaughn to stick her front and centre here is an inspired one, especially given her abundant chemistry with co-star, Sam Rockwell.

Alongside Howard, Sam Rockwell is, well, Sam Rockwell really. With shiftiness and charm blended to perfection, Rockwell does what Rockwell does best in a performance well within his comfort zone, yet one that counterbalances Howard’s wholesome charm perfectly.

Around them, Argylle’s ensemble is crammed full of big names, all of whom know and fully accept the assignment in front of them. From Henry Cavill to Dua Lipa to Catherine O’Hara to Samuel L. Jackson and everyone in between, the film has star power at every turn, and while none are operating anywhere near their peak, each member of the cast offers the kind of cartoonish, larger-than-life performance the film’s ridiculousness demands. Sure, like the rest of Argylle, all these over-the-top antics grow increasingly wearisome the further into things we get, yet, when the going’s good, it’s hard not to just vibe with it.

Clocking in at an unnecessarily lengthy 140 minutes, there’s little doubt that Argylle overstays its welcome, and as we enter the film’s final twist-laden act, it’s hard to continue mustering much enthusiasm towards it. As we near the finale, all this weighty star power, shaky CGI, plot over-elaboration, and action bombast become entirely too much, suggesting that its director should perhaps move on from the spy genre before it’s too late.

Kind of fun until it’s kind of not, Argylle gets by for the most part on its outright silliness, yet that only really takes it so far. With enjoyable performances from its leads and an enviable ensemble backing them up, Matthew Vaughn delivers action-packed, slaphappy spy shenanigans aplenty, but as the unnecessary plot twists, self-satisfied smirks, and downright ludicrousness rack up over its bloated run time, Argylle falls as flat as Henry Cavill’s hair by its conclusion.

Argylle is in cinemas now.