by Linda Kay

Starring: Chip

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Spy author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) has found great success with her book series featuring master spy Argylle (Henry Cavill), but life imitates art when Elly is swept into the real world of intrigue by real life spy Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell).

Featured Feline: Elly owns a silver tabby Scottish Fold cat named Alfie who is first seen in her home as she sits down to write the end of the next Argylle book.

When Elly finds she has writer’s block, she looks to Alfie to ask if he has any ideas.

The shot zooms in on Alfie then pulls back to reveal the cat inside a bubble backpack (the pattern of which is Argyle matching the tag on Alfie’s neck) as Elly boards a train. She has decided to go visit her parents.

Elly is put off when a dishevelled man (Aidan Wilde in disguise) sits across from her and notices Alfie, tapping on the glass bubble of the backpack.

The two are ambushed and as Aidan fights off the attackers Elly grabs Alfie and tries to run away. Elly is confronted by another attacker but Aidan makes sure Alfie is set aside and out of harm’s way.

After managing to escape, Elly awakens and asks about Alfie. Aidan assures her the cat is fine and she sees him eating tuna nearby. When Elly realizes what danger she is in, she agrees to go with Aidan to find a master file which will bring down the bad guys’ whole operation. Aidan, who keeps sneezing around Alfie but doesn’t admit he’s allergic to cats, is not thrilled when she brings the kitty along.

In London Elly manages to figure out the location of the hacker who stole the file but she, Aidan and Alfie have to hide beneath the floorboards when a bunch of goons show up. Unfortunately Alfie meows and Aidan has to spring out to fight the men.

Elly finds a grenade and throws it out, covering her ears and taking cover with Alfie before it explodes. Aidan survives but warns, “That cat’s used up one of his nine lives, trust me.”

Escaping to the roof, Aidan is convinced the hacker has left them a way out by leaving covered padding on a floating dock below. Elly doesn’t trust Aidan so he asks if she trusts Alfie. When she says, “Of course,” he pulls Alfie from her backpack and drops him off the edge of the building.

Alfie lands safely and so Aidan and Elly follow, landing on the pad which sends Alfie flying back up into the air. Aidan catches the cat as he comes back down.

In a hotel room, Alfie jumps onto a desk near Aidan who gives him scritches. But when Aidan tries to shoo the cat away, Alfie scratches his hand.

Moments later, when Aidan goes to take a shower, Elly spots Alfie trying to get into the bathroom. She overhears Aidan telling someone on the phone that “Elly Conway needs a bullet in her head!” Elly immediately leaves with Alfie.

Elly turns to people she can trust who give Alfie some food.

But behind her back, one of them knocks the cat to the floor.

While escaping with Aidan, Elly has to make the decision to leave Alfie behind. Late in the film Alfie turns up in the hands of the head of the bad guy’s organization, Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston).

At one point during the final battle, the bubble in Alfie’s backpack gets shot out but the cat is thankfully okay.

Alfie even gets to play a major role in bringing Director Ritter down.

In the end, the cat survives! And everything else about the movie should be kept as a surprise.

Behind the Scenes

The cat actor who played Alfie in the film was Chip, the pet of director Matthew Vaughn’s family. Apparently another cat actor had been cast in the role but, according to Vaughn’s wife, Claudia Schiffer, that cat was not a very good actor and also cost too much. So Vaughn asked if he could use Chip for the shoot. Because of the family connection to the director, Chip earned the nickname “Nepo Kitty.”

The film received a lukewarm reception from critics upon its initial release but has found a more receptive following on Apple TV+’s streaming service. There was actually a little controversy surrounding the cat’s appearance and the bubble backpack featured in the film, as some cat advocates used the opportunity to point out that those style carriers are not ideal for cats. Appearances by Chip in public inside the backpack were also condemned with a few people insisting that cats are not comfortable in such carriers or even away from home at all. This seems a bit much, however, as Chip only made sporadic personal appearances and while he appeared slightly overwhelmed in some of the circumstances he certainly did not seem unduly distressed. As for the bubble backpacks, it depends entirely upon the size and demeanor of your cat whether or not they are appropriate to use.

As for any concern about the cat’s appearance throughout the film itself, those would be wholly unfounded, as it’s clear a vast majority of the cat’s scenes are either green screened or pure CGI. This is probably why a family pet could be utilized for the movie shoot without any wranglers being credited (the director took this role on himself). Quiet scenes with other actors would not stress a cat who is not familiar with such surroundings, but for the action and interactive scenes (such a scratching a hand or attacking a face) it made sense to use computer graphics to achieve the desired acting required by Alfie. Achieving the effect of the cat being in the backpack the entire time would not be too difficult since only the cat’s face was needed inside the bubble. The cat actor was certainly not being carried around in the carrier for the entire shoot.

Among Chip’s promotional appearances was a spot with Schiffer on The Jonathan Ross Show on December 21, 2024:

Claudia Schiffer also brought Chip to the film’s premiere in the movie’s iconic bubble backpack:

A behind the scenes video included cast members talking about the talents of Chip in his role as Alfie:

Chip and Schiffer were also interviewed on Access Hollywood to promote the movie:

And a line of cat travel merchandise was released by Travel Cat featuring the patterns and designs featured in the film.

Chip even published an autobiography of sorts titled Blue Chip: Confessions of Claudia Schiffer’s Cat.

And of course Chip as Alfie was featured prominently on advertisements for the film.

Final Mewsings: Cats appreciate CGI if it saves them from having to do stunt work.

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