Movie · 2024 · Action, Adventure, Comedy · 2h 19m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.4/10 (370.6K ratings)
The greater the spy, the bigger the lie.
Overview
When the plots of reclusive author Elly Conway's fictional espionage novels begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by her cat Alfie and Aidan, a cat-allergic spy, Elly races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Conway's fictional world and her real one begins to blur.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.4/10
IMDb: 5.6/10
Letterboxd: 2.25/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 33%
Metacritic: 35
TMDB: 6.0/10
Director
Matthew Vaughn
Production
Marv, Apple Studios, Cloudy Productions
Cast
Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Sofia Boutella, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard E. Grant, Stanley Morgan, Daniel Singh, Jason Fuchs, Tomás Paredes, Bobby Holland Hanton, Greg Townley, Alaa Habib, Clementine Vaughn, Raagni Sharma
Where to watch
Apple TV Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, overstuffed spy-comedy with flashes of playful invention, but the tonal whiplash and bloated plotting keep it from fully landing. It’s best approached as a loud, unserious spectacle rather than a tight thriller.
Best for
Viewers who like maximalist, joke-forward action movies
Fans of glossy spy capers with comic-book energy
People in the mood for a chaotic, star-studded crowd-pleaser
Audiences who enjoy style, needle drops, and big swings over coherence
Skip if
You want a clean, well-paced espionage story
You’re sensitive to tonal inconsistency
You prefer grounded action over cartoonish excess
You get impatient with long, twisty, self-conscious plotting
Overview
Argylle is the kind of movie that seems determined to keep reinventing itself every ten minutes, for better and worse. It has the bright colors, brisk banter, and pop-art confidence of a director working in full showman mode, but the script keeps piling on twists, reversals, and meta-gags until the whole thing starts feeling overengineered.
Worth noting
There are moments that work: a few action set pieces have real snap, the comedy occasionally lands, and the cast is game even when the material is not. But the movie’s biggest problem is that it never settles on a single tone, so the fun of the premise gets diluted by constant detours and a sense that it’s trying too hard to be clever.
Bottom line
If you’re in the right mood, it can play like an expensive, chaotic diversion with enough energy to carry you through its rough patches. If you want elegance, discipline, or emotional buy-in, this is probably going to feel like a lot of noise for not much payoff.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sophie Holsinger (1★) · 14552 likes
Guy sitting next to me leaned over and told me this was the best movie he has ever seen. Say a prayer for him tonight.
justinwuah (2★) · 9423 likes
minus one star because henry cavill and john cena did not kiss
jonathan fujii (1★) · 5913 likes
Finally free of this trailer playing in front of every damn movie😭🙌
demi adejuyigbe · 5251 likes
found a really really good parking spot at amc burbank 16
stan (3★) · 4428 likes
the real agent argylle was in the amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died
2022 · Action, Adventure, Comedy · 1h 52m · PG-13 · Curator 1.5/10 (530.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads
A modern adventure-comedy that leans on star chemistry, absurdity, and pulpy escapism.