Summary

• Matthew Vaughn's films are known for their stylized, over-the-top action mixed with character-driven narratives, and they have had a significant influence on the modern action landscape.
• While some of Vaughn's films, like "Argylle" and "The King's Man," have been commercial and critical flops, they still showcase his filmmaking strengths, such as silly and fun performances and exciting action sequences.
• Vaughn's best films, like "X-Men: First Class" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service," demonstrate his ability to deliver incredibly entertaining and remarkably creative movies that balance entertainment with thought-provoking undertones.

Aside from Argylle, Matthew Vaughn has several movies in his filmography to explore, ranging in quality. Vaughn has been a writer and producer since the late 1990s, rising to prominence producing Guy Ritchie's films, including Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. His directorial debut was 2004's Layer Cake, though he began to attract mainstream success with Kick-Ass in 2010. Like Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn is known for stylized, over-the-top action mixed with character-driven narratives.

Vaughn's filmography contains a range of genres, from superhero films to fantasy to espionage thrillers. Even when he's not dealing with comic book adaptations, his movies feel like they've been taken from the pages of a graphic novel, with vibrant images, exciting action, and loveable characters. Matthew Vaughn's work has influenced the modern action landscape, and his films have spawned lasting movie series and franchises.

8 Argylle (2024)

Matthew Vaughn's latest spy thriller experiment.

Matthew Vaughn's latest film had plenty of ingredients for success, with exciting stars like Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Sam Rockwell. Not to mention, the film's supporting cast is packed with famous names, including Samuel L. Jackson and John Cena. Unfortunately, Argylle hasn't worked out as intended, bombing with a $16.5 million opening weekend on its $200 million budget. The action/espionage thriller also bombed critically, with a 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 36% score on Metacritic.

Argylle may have received mixed reviews from fans and critics, but it still contains some of Vaughn's filmmaking strengths. The performances are silly and fun, and the action works more often than it doesn't. It's hard to go wrong with Henry Cavill, who's charismatic and entertaining as the strangely-haired spy. Unfortunately, the bizarre action movie gets bogged down by its convoluted plot. With a new Kingsman movie on the way, Matthew Vaughn will need a win to break his streak of high-budget box office flops.

7 The King's Man (2021)

A prequel to Vaughn's Kingsman series.

A prequel installment to the Kingsman franchise, The King's Man was another commercial and critical flop for Matthew Vaughn. The film was at least better received by fans than Argylle, with an 80% Audience Score. Ralph Fiennes is excellent in the starring role, and the supporting cast is unique and memorable. Unfortunately, the script was the problem in The King's Man, as it provided a needless backstory to a film series that had no purpose in being an extended franchise. The King's Man 2 must get several things right to correct the prequel saga's course.

6 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

The less successful Kingsman sequel.

While the first Kingsman sequel wasn't as well received critically as the original, its commercial success and broad cultural appeal are hard to deny. Matthew Vaughn knows how to make an entertaining action movie, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle is that. Taron Egerton and Colin Firth are as excellent as they were in the first, and iconic stars bolster the supporting cast. However, The Golden Circle falls short of the original's ingenuity, with a redundant plot and an unnecessary uptick in action.

5 Stardust (2007)

A Neil Gaiman fantasy adaptation.

Matthew Vaughn's fantasy adventure film Stardust isn't one of the best Neil Gaiman adaptations, but it's still a beloved movie to a younger generation who grew up with it. The film stars Daredevil actor Charlie Cox and has an impressive supporting cast, including Robert De Niro and Michele Pfeiffer. It was also Vaughn and Henry Cavill's first film together, as the young star played a minor supporting role. Stardust is an offbeat production in Vaughn's career, but it was essential in his rise to mainstream prominence.

4 Layer Cake (2004)

Matthew Vaughn's directorial debut.

Lacking much of the budget of his later films, Matthew Vaughn displayed his raw, exciting talent in his debut film, Layer Cake. It'd be difficult to ruin a crime thriller starring Daniel Craig, with Tom Hardy and Michael Gambon in supporting roles, and Vaughn doesn't disappoint. The film has been glossed over, lacking the franchise title of many of his more popular releases, but Layer Cake is as wildly entertaining as classic Guy Ritchie movies. The performances are excellent, and the script is sharp, making Layer Cake a quintessential Matthew Vaughn movie.

3 Kick-Ass (2010)

A dark, subversive superhero film.

Kick-Ass is the film that brought Matthew Vaughn into prominence, and rightfully so. Given the immense popularity of superhero blockbusters, Kick-Ass was truly ahead of its time as a subversive, dark-comedy take on the genre. Shows like The Boys and Invincible prove the need for meta-commentary on mainstream superhero media. Hence, a Kick-Ass reboot is in development. As for the film itself, the 2010 action movie worked on all accounts, receiving critical and fan acclaim and becoming Vaughn's first commercial hit.

Kick-Ass boasts one of Matthew Vaughn's highest IMDb scores, a 7.6, and it can be credited for launching Chloë Grace Moretz and Aaryon Taylor-Johnson into stardom. Not to mention, gearing up Nicolas Cage to play a superhero named Big Daddy is absolutely iconic. While its box office run wasn't enormous, Kick-Ass reached audiences through its DVD release and has become a cult classic in Vaughn's filmography.

2 Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

The first film in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman series.

The original Kingsman film is the most quintessentially Matthew Vaughn film, meaning its style, narrative, and action play entirely to the filmmaker's strengths. Unlike its prequel and sequel, Kingsman: The Secret Service was fresh, incredibly entertaining, and remarkably creative. Vaughn is excellent at delivering casually fun movies that balance their entertainment factor and box office draw with thought-provoking undertones. Kingsman: The Secret Service is tied for Matthew Vaughn's highest-rated film on IMDb, holding a high score for an action movie.

1 X-Men: First Class (2011)

The first film in the X-Men prequel series.

The first X-Men prequel film is a strange outlier in Vaughn's filmography, as it doesn't contain many of his usual tropes. However, X-Men: First Class is Matthew Vaughn's best movie and one of the best films in the X-Men franchise. Resetting the roster with young stars was always going to be a risk, but Vaughn's writing allowed newcomers like James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender to flourish while inhabiting roles that'd previously been played to excellence. X-Men: First Class was Vaughn's only experience dipping into an already-established franchise, and it paid off as his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes.

First Class is a criminally underappreciated superhero film with outstanding character development. The movie balanced its heroes excellently, exploring the dichotomy between Magneto and Professor X in a way that added new meaning to their cinematic relationship. It also examined Magneto as a sympathetic and relatable villain, with a horrifying opening sequence displaying his upbringing. It's an excellent franchise installment that would be held in greater reverence had the X-Men saga concluded on a more satisfactory note. Either way, it's Matthew Vaughn's most outstanding creation.