Argylle Ending Explained: Let’s Unpack as Many of Those Twists as We Can
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The post Argylle Ending Explained: Let’s Unpack as Many of Those Twists as We Can appeared first on Consequence.
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Argylle.]
The Matthew Vaughn film Argylle contains one major twist and then many more twists on top of it; it’s a real twist-a-palooza, and some of those twists even make sense! So, with the movie now in theaters, let’s try our best to explain that ending and answer the biggest questions presented by the spy thriller, in which a humble novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her cat get swept up in a whole bunch of international intrigue.
Not all of the questions presented by this film have answers, but you can’t expect a spy to reveal all of his (or her) secrets. Still, here’s our best effort at explaining what goes down, including what Dua Lipa is doing here, and why using that Beatles song doesn’t make any sense.
Spoil the Biggest Twist First, Please!
Okay, so about halfway through Argylle, it’s confirmed that Elly Conway is actually a secret agent named Rachel Kylle (R-Kylle, get it?), who was badly injured five years ago while trying to obtain something called the Silver Bullet, and was captured by the evil forces at evil spy agency Division.
Division then brainwashed Rachel into believing that she was Elly, but her memories of secret-agent-ing lurked in her subconscious, and eventually emerged in her fiction — which Division encouraged, because they hoped that her books would eventually lead them to find the Silver Knock at the Cabin Ending ExplainedBullet. (For the sake of this writer’s sanity, we’ll keep referring to Elly as Elly in this article, even after she eventually recovers her memories of being Rachel.)
What’s the Silver Bullet Again?
A literal silver bullet that contains a flash drive of files that could bring Division down. (Argylle may not be subtle.)
So What’s Sam Rockwell’s Deal?
Aidan (Sam Rockwell) is a rogue agent who used to be Rachel’s partner (nudge nudge wink wink in more ways than one), who’s been watching her for years in her brainwashed state, until the threat to her life was too real. He’s still in love with Rachel, and eventually, she remembers her feelings for him too.
And Bryan Cranston’s the Bad Guy?
Yep, but one early twist is that for the past five years, he’s also been playing the role of Elly’s fictional loving father — a facade he drops quickly, when the time comes.
Because I’ve Seen the Trailer So Many Times, I Know Catherine O’Hara Plays Elly’s Mom. What’s Up With That?
O’Hara’s Ruth is, in another twist, actually a ruthless British scientist and hypnotist who oversaw Elly’s brainwashing. She also drops the loving mom act as soon as the jig is up.
Is Catherine O’Hara’s British Accent Any Good?
Look, the lady is a comedy legend. Be cool, okay?
How Many Different Times Do We See a Character Seemingly Get Shot and Killed, Before Turning Out to Still Be Alive?
At least three, though at least two of them have some connection: Elly, in the middle of a tense standoff with Division, shoots Aidan in the chest. Yes, that might normally be a killshot, except a “fan” had previously emailed Elly about a potential way in which a person could get shot through the torso and survive — and we find out that said fan was actually a former real-life teammate of Rachel and Aidan’s, the tech expert Keira (Ariana DeBose). Keira was presumed dead, after a similar gunshot wound, but survived, and shows up to help Elly and Aidan out during the final big fight.
Also, Catherine O’Hara gets shot in the chest early on, but she was just wearing a vest. (If you were to rank the least-surprising things to occur in this film, the reveal that she’s not dead would be top of the list.)
How Does Henry Cavill Fit Into This?
At first, we just see Cavill as the fictional Agent Argylle in depictions of scenes from Elly’s books. But then Elly, prior to regaining her memories of being Rachel, begins seeing visions of him as Argylle in her waking life, usually while Aidan is fighting some bad guys for their survival. (The intercutting between Elly’s visions of Argylle fighting and reality is pretty cool, actually.) “Argylle” fades away, though, as Elly embraces her memories of being Rachel — and thus her inner badass. There was never really an Agent Argylle — he only represented the person Elly barely remembers being.
So There’s Also a Character in Elly’s Books Inspired by Aidan, Played by John Cena. Since Rachel and Aidan Were in Love, Does This Mean We See Henry Cavill and John Cena Kiss?
No, for some reason — despite imagining her lost lover as a much burlier guy than he is in real life — Elly’s fiction never goes so far as to imagine her fictional avatar in a relationship with him. It’s weird.
Argylle (Universal)
Wait, The Beatles’ “Now and Then” Definitely Came Out In 2023. It Was a Whole Thing. But It Was Rachel and Aidan’s Song Five Years Ago — Does That Mean Argylle Takes Place in the Year 2028 or 2029?
I guess so? I dunno, man. There’s nothing deliberately futuristic about the film’s setting (beyond the usual assortment of James Bond-ish tech), but I guess if you think back on 2019 in comparison to today, things haven’t gotten that much more advanced? Or, more likely, Matthew Vaughn just liked the song and thought it’d be cool to use it, and really didn’t give that element much thought.
You Haven’t Mentioned Samuel L. Jackson at All, You Know.
That’s because he’s mostly there as a plot device, playing a former CIA director who Elly and Aiden send the Masterkey contained on the Silver Bullet so that the day can be saved. Jackson’s underutilized, but because his character is hiding out in the south of France, he at least got a free trip out of it.
Isn’t Dua Lipa in This Movie Too?
Yeah, she plays a low-level bad guy in one of the fictional Argylle sequences. If you’ve seen the trailer (and if you’ve been to see any movie in theaters for the last few months, you’ve probably seen the trailer), then you’ve seen the bulk of her performance. She does die by suicide in a very sassy way, once she’s been caught by Argylle.
Are There Any Hints as to What a Sequel Might Be?
There are two loose ends, either of which could lead to more story: The final scene, prior to the credits, brings the story full circle as Elly does a book reading/Q&A that reveals happy endings for Elly and her friends. But then, someone in the back’s got a question… and it’s Henry Cavill, with a mullet! Say whaaaa? (Cut to black.)
Also, a mid-credits scene depicts a young Argylle receiving a gun from a bartender played by Ben Daniels, which ends up being a scene from a film adaptation of the first Argylle book. So, that could perhaps be a thing?
It all depends on many factors, most especially how Argylle does at the box office. The film is in theaters now.
Argylle Ending Explained: Let’s Unpack as Many of Those Twists as We Can
Liz Shannon Miller
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