Argyle (2024), directed by Matthew Vaughn, follows the story of an introverted writer who writes spy stories. One day, she finds out that the things she writes about are happening for real. The movie stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway – the writer, Henry Cavill as the cool spy Argylle; and Sam Rockwell as a clever but clumsy agent.
However, despite the talent on screen, the film struggles to deliver a compelling narrative or memorable performances. The characters feel underdeveloped, and the plot lacks coherence, resulting in a disappointing viewing experience. The film fails to impress with its loud, over-the-top approach and lackluster CGI. Despite a plethora of twists and turns, the spy film struggles to find its footing, delivering a story that feels both predictable and drawn-out. The story unfolds at a sluggish pace, making it difficult for the audience to stay engaged with its convoluted plotline. The characters merely go through the motions, lacking depth and failing to captivate the audience. In a genre known for its suspense and intrigue, Argyle falls short, offering little in the way of substance or excitement.
In this article, we dive into what takes place in Argylle, along with an explanation of the twist that unfolds in the film. Please note that the article is full of spoilers, and the reader’s discretion is advised.
Argylle (2024): Plot & Story Breakdown
Elly Conway is a successful writer of a spy series based on a character named Argylle. After a freak accident, Elly used all her willpower to write these books about Argylle, which made her a successful writer. Her stories revolve around Argylle and his coworker Wyatt working together for an intelligence agency. After finishing her final draft of the fifth installment of her Argylle series, she sends the manuscript to her mother for a quick review.
Her mother points out that the ending of the draft needs to be better and that she must rework it before sending it to the publisher. She even suggests that she will come to Elly’s place over the weekend to work out a few options that can end the fifth book brilliantly. Elly trusts her mother’s verdict and decides to rework the ending, but she has no words coming out. Unable to think through anything, she packs her bag and, along with her cat, Alfie, gets on a train to meet her parents. However, there is a whole new adventure planned ahead for Elly when she meets a random stranger on the train.
Elly tries to keep her distance from everyone, and when she finds this strange man reading her latest book, she tries to cover her face to avoid any confrontation. The man recognizes her and introduces himself as a spy named Aiden Wilde, trying to protect her from the people who want to attack her. Elly, who thinks the man is nuts, completely loses her calm when people start trying to attack Aiden and her.
Aiden, on the other hand, starts killing everyone, and the next thing Elly knows, she is with Aiden inside a cottage far from where she was supposed to be in the first place. Seeing how Elly freaks out with every second passing by, Aiden explains to her that whenever Elly writes stories for her novel, there is no blur between reality and fiction, and the characters come to life. He further explains that the multinational spy syndicate, known as The Division, mentioned in her books is all real, including the characters she has introduced to the world.
The First Twist: Elly Conway’s Shocking Reality Revealed!
On their way to London, Aiden tells Elly that her stories are somehow predicting the actual events happening in the real world. According to the fifth Argylle book, it was Aiden who had hired a hacker named Bakunin to steal a master file from The Division. However, nobody knows what happened to him, so he asks Elly to write the chapters so they can find out about Bakunin and the file. Meanwhile, as Elly tries to decipher the mystery, The Division’s director, Ritter, learns about Aiden and Elly’s next move and sends his men to catch them.
Elly, on the other hand, finds the clues to Bakunin’s last location, where they discover a logbook that enlists The Division’s top-notch data. After escaping Ritter’s men, Aiden and Elly find a safe spot to hide where Elly believes that even Aiden is after her life. She calls her parents to London and meets them at a hotel. However, when Elly is explaining her adventures, Aiden barges inside the hotel room and shoots both of her parents, claiming that Elly’s parents are actually Director Ritter and Doctor Ruth from the Division who manipulated her into writing these books in order to cover up their sinister work.
The Second Twist: From Novelist to Secret Agent – Rachel Kyle’s True Identity
The story moves forward as Aiden takes Elly to France, where she meets Alfie – an ex-CIA agent named Alfred Solomon, who has been trying to retrieve information and data to expose The Division. This is when Aiden tells Elly that she, too, was an agent, and everything she has written so far has been a literal transcription of her own spy life. Her real name is Rachel Kyle, and she was one of the best spy agents of the CIA team. However, when she met with an accident that slipped her into a deep coma, The Division found her first and used the situation as a gateway to brainwash her into believing that she is Elly Conway, a spy writer. They used visual triggers on Elly to keep her memories from coming back and do what they wanted her to believe or do.
Argylle (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
The Third Twist: Who Killed Bakunin & What’s Next?
The twist ending of Argylle sees Rachel Kyle face to face with Ruth and Ritter. We learn that Elly was actually working for the division as their top assassin. Her name was on the flash drive, which also helped her retrace her memories, realizing that it was she who killed Bakunin.
This is when we also learn about Ruth’s plan, which involves hypnotizing Elly again and making her go against Aiden. The division’s aim is to stop the transfer of their top-secret files to Alfie. The sudden realization that she has a darker side makes Elly go into introspection, but Aiden promptly tells her that despite all the wrong things she has done in the past, she still has some goodness in her.
A back and forth between Elly turning against Aiden due to being hypnotized by Ruth takes place until Keira, who was an important ally to Elly all this while, comes in to save the day. Elly and Aiden successfully upload the file to Alfie, exposing the Division.
Elly is able to complete her fifth book, and her fan base loves it. However, at a book tour, one of the fans who looks eerily similar to the character Argylle that Elly had imagined stands up, leaving Elly completely gobsmacked. Elly is surprised to see him in the flesh as he says that he is ready to answer the questions she has for him. The movie then fades to black, hinting at the possibility that some other part of Elly’s memories are still dormant.
Does Argylle Connect to Kingsman? Mid-Credits Scene Explained!
The mid-credits scene in Argylle reveals a significant crossover with the Kingsman franchise, confirming that both series exist within the same universe. It features a young Aubrey Argylle entering a bar called The King’s Man to retrieve a package, establishing a direct connection between Argylle and the Kingsman organization.
This scene not only sets up potential future crossovers between the two franchises but also hints at a prequel focusing on a younger Aubrey Argylle, played by Louis Partridge. The inclusion of this scene suggests broader narrative possibilities for the Argylle franchise, potentially diverging from its current storyline and exploring new characters and events within the shared universe.
Read More: Where to Watch & Stream the New Spy Thriller ‘Argylle’ Starring Henry Cavill?
Argylle (2024) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia, Letterboxd
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Henry Cavill, Sofia Boutella, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson
Genre: Action/Comedy, Runtime: 2h 19m
