Warning: Spoilers for Argylle.
Summary
- Argylle follows writer Elly Conway, who becomes the target of an organization after realizing events from her spy novels are happening in real life.
- The true identity of Agent Argylle is revealed as Rachel Kylle, and Elly discovers that she herself is the real Argylle.
- Elly’s struggles with her writing are explained by her repressed memories caused by a traumatic event and manipulation by the Division.
Argylle is a new comedic spy thriller from Matthew Vaughn. The film is based on the book of the same name by author Elly Conway, which also happens to be the name of the film’s main character. It follows Elly (Bryce Dallas Howard), also a writer, who pens a slew of spy novels about Agent Aubrey Argylle (Henry Cavill) and his missions. Elly’s secluded, quiet life on the lake is abruptly interrupted after encountering Aidan (Sam Rockwell) while she and her cat take the train to her mother’s house. After evading a barrage of attacks from unknown assailants, she escapes with Aiden and learns the truth about her books. Somehow, the events she’s written about in her series of novels have actually transpired in real life, making her a target of the devious organization known as the Division.
Full of a multitude of plot twists and surprises throughout the entire film, the identity of the real Agent Argylle seems blatantly obvious upon its reveal. After Elly discovers her parents, Ritter (Bryan Cranston) and Ruth (Catherine O’Hara), aren’t actually her parents, she once again escapes with Aidan, who takes her to France. However, this time, she’s without her beloved cat Alfie. There, she meets Alfred Solomon (Samuel L. Jackson), the former deputy director of the CIA, who ultimately shares the truth about why her novels so accurately resemble the real-life spy events surrounding the nefarious actions of the Division. As such, the explanation for why she’s so suddenly hit a wall with her writing inevitably makes sense.
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Who Is Agent Argylle in Elly’s Novel?
The main character of Elly’s novels is none other than Agent Argylle, the spy at the center of it all. A tall and handsome type, Argylle is the epitome of what a spy looks like to those who know nothing about spies. As such, Elly’s creation of him is very apropos. An introvert who’s anxious all the time and apparently never flies, she concocted the character after her supposed extensive research as a writer. Having never been to the places she writes about, Elly credits everything in her novels to quality research. A top-notch spy unlike any other, Argylle lives within Elly in a way many other fictional characters don’t in the minds of their creators.
In Elly’s case, she quite literally begins delusionally speaking with Argylle as if he’s actually in the room. Almost as soon as she encounters Aidan, thoughts of the fictional Argylle begin to cross with her real life. For moments, she sees him fending off the ambush of attackers rather than Aidan, albeit in a much more stylish manner. Aware of her vivid and confusing hallucinations, Elly begins to question her grip on reality. However, it’s all conveyed in the most lighthearted, comedic fashion. The film is meant to be fun and cheeky, not a Tom Clancy adaptation.
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Who Is the Real Agent Argylle?
Upon arriving in France at Alfred Solomon’s vineyard, Elly is immediately introduced to a world she never thought was possible after he reveals the true identity of Agent Argylle. Given the accuracy of Elly’s novels, it makes sense that she is, in fact, the real Argylle, whose name is actually Rachel Kylle or “R. Kylle.”
In complete disbelief about the revelation, she confronts Aidan, who tells her to stop whining because Rachel was not a whiner. He then proceeds to throw a punch at her in an attempt to unleash her inner spy, which works. Elly/Rachel promptly dodges the blow and lays Aidan flat on his back. While her abilities as a spy might be resurfacing, her repressed memories are still buried deep within.
Having suffered a traumatic event in the line of duty five years prior, Elly/Rachel learns she was found on the banks of the Thames with no memory. While in the hospital, the Division uses the opportunity to manipulate her memories and suppress her identity as Rachel. Having brainwashed her into believing she was Elly, the aspiring novelist, the Division hoped she would write about the location of the Masterkey, a set of documents meant to expose the Division and their heinous actions. Although, they didn’t necessarily expect her to become such a renowned author.
Unfortunately, Elly/Rachel can’t remember where the Masterkey is, which explains the writer’s block she experienced at the beginning of the film. Helping her to retrace her memories and recall the final moments before her amnesia-inducing accident, she and Aidan eventually decipher its location and continue on their journey to expose the Division. Thankfully, the audience discovers the truth about Argylle’s identity about halfway through the film. As such, plenty of other twists and unexpected turns remained left for viewers to discover along the way.
Upon the big reveal, the truth about the real Agent Argylle seems blatantly obvious given Elly’s extensive knowledge of spies. Furthermore, the fact that she was “predicting” actual spy events should have been the first indication of who Elly and Argylle were. Argylle is currently in theaters.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
