Stars: 5

How long does it take for lies to come to the surface? “Argylle,” the newest movie directed by Matthew Vaughn, hit theaters on Feb. 2 of this year. The movie follows a shy author, Elly Conway, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, as she’s trying to finish writing the fifth installment of her series. Conway’s book follows a spy named Argylle, whose job is to find and destroy a global spy syndicate. After some trouble trying to think of the perfect ending, she decides to go visit her mother in hopes that they can come up with a great cliffhanger to lead into the sixth novel. As she’s on a train traveling, she is attacked by spies working to capture her. She’s saved by Aiden, played by Sam Rockwell, who informs Conway that her books are real and that the spies on the other side want to capture her in hopes that she can predict where a critical file is. As the story continues, more and more starts to be questioned and even Conway’s whole life, everything she thought was true starts to become uncertain. I can say confidently that this is my favorite movie. I watched the trailer before seeing the film and the trailer kept the secrets hidden perfectly, making the movie thrilling throughout the two-hour runtime. The twists and turns in the plot were unpredictable and I never saw them coming. Every question or loose end in the movie was eventually answered, which proved to me that it was well written and had much thought go into it. Another thing I liked about the movie was that it didn’t take itself super seriously. It was a perfect mix of humor and seriousness. I think there is a stereotype that mysteries or thrillers have to be serious and in this case, “Argylle” proves it can be both. The acting was incredible as were the cameos, featuring Dua Lipa, John Cena and Henry Cavill. Overall, there was something in the movie for all to enjoy. Nothing was too far-fetched as a surprise or plot twist. The ending was also a perfect twist, making me long for a sequel or follow-up. I am shocked that the movie hasn’t done well commercially so far, with only $18 million at the box office for its opening weekend, it’s easy to say it deserves much more.  I thought deeply about one critical thing I could say but I couldn’t come up with one change I would make. The movie ended in a way that it could continue with a sequel and I welcome it with open arms. I deeply hope that if that is to come true the same amount of effort is put into the second movie, if this happens we will for sure have a great movie series for years to come.