All 8 Matthew Vaughn Movies, Ranked Worst to Best

As a filmmaker, Matthew Vaughn has been behind a decent number of popular and acclaimed films within the last couple of decades. He made his directorial debut in 2004, and has had a steady output in the years since, with a total of seven directorial credits to his name, with his eighth and most recent movie, Argylle, being released in theaters in early 2024, marking 20 years of directing films.

His films tend to be classifiable at least partially as action movies (and he does have a knack for helming memorable fight scenes), but his filmography’s still pretty diverse, as Vaughn’s made crime thrillers, adventure movies, sci-fi films, superhero movies, and even a fantasy film. His body of work isn’t flawless, but much of it’s genuinely very good, with all the movies he’s made so far as a director ranked below from worst to best.

8 ‘The King’s Man’ (2021)

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans

Even though its premise sounded intriguing, 2021’s The King’s Man was largely a letdown, and quite easily the weakest film in the overall inconsistent Kingsman series so far. It takes the energy and adventurous spirit of the other Kingsman movies and sets things 100 years before those films, largely taking place during World War I and centering on an outlandish premise that sees various historical figures of the time forging a shadowy alliance to take down Britain.

If you want to have a silly premise, a good way to do it a disservice is by taking it all too seriously, which is unfortunately what The King’s Man does. There’s little by way of intentional comedy, though the action is still over-the-top, and some of the villains – particularly Rhys Ifans‘s take on Rasputin – are distractingly goofy. But then when it comes to the scenes of trench warfare in World War I, it becomes genuinely tragic and bleak. There’s little to no tonal balance here, which makes for a baffling and whiplash-inducing watch… but it’s not all miserable, because at least some of the action is good, and Ralph Fiennes is compelling in the film’s lead role.

Rent on Apple TV

7 ‘Argylle’ (2024)

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston

Don’t call it a comeback, unfortunately. While Argylle looked like it might’ve been promising and something of a rebound after The King’s Man, it’s instead a bit of a mess, albeit a sometimes fun one. What you get with Argylle is a truly impressive cast all playing characters in an intricate story where reality and fiction collide, complemented by plenty of humor, action, and a charismatic cat. It’s not balanced or even comprehensible at times, but there are flashes of entertainment value to be found.

Still, with Argylle costing more than $200 million and with this many talented people behind it, it’s understandable that many expected something a little better. Argylle may appeal to those who’ve really enjoyed everything Matthew Vaughn has made so far (even his past/partial misfires), but it’s not the kind of thing that’ll convert any naysayers to Camp Vaughn. Perhaps it’s best to go in with low to moderate expectations, feeling a little like the kind of movie many will wait to watch on streaming.

Watch in Cinemas

6 ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ (2017)

Cast: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore

The second film in the Kingsman series, The Golden Circle, might not be the worst of the three released so far, but it’s hard to argue it isn’t the most divisive. It centers on what happens after much of the titular organization is wiped out in a devastating attack, leading to those left behind traveling to the U.S. and taking on the new threat they face with the help of that country’s Kingsman equivalent: The Statesman.

From suddenly killing certain characters off, to bizarrely bringing other people back to life, and to an Elton John performance that’s either the best or worst thing in the film, depending on who you ask, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is kind of chaotic. At 141 minutes, it does drag in parts, and Julianne Moore‘s performance as the central villain is also odd, yet those who simply want more Kingsman action might find parts of it to be quite fun and explosive, if a little mindless and not quite as engaging as the first time around.

Rent on Apple TV

5 ‘Layer Cake’ (2004)

Cast: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Tom Hardy

Layer Cake is significant for being Matthew Vaughn’s directorial debut, and also for featuring one of Daniel Craig‘s earliest starring roles; one that helped make him a big-name actor. He plays an unnamed protagonist in the film (“XXXX,” according to the end credits), with the plot revolving around him getting caught up in the aftermath of a drug deal gone horribly wrong, leading to him having to do all he can to make it out of the criminal underworld of Britain with his life.

It’s Vaughn’s most grounded and lowest-budgeted film, being a very gritty crime thriller that doesn’t lean into anything like science-fiction or fantasy, and can’t exactly be called an action movie, either. However, it is engaging and a largely well-made debut feature, scratching a kind of Guy Ritchie itch without being too derivative of that filmmaker’s style, and also having a strong supporting cast that includes the likes of Sienna Miller and Tom Hardy.

Rent on Apple TV

4 ‘Stardust’ (2007)

Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer

Sticking out within Matthew Vaughn’s filmography, due to the fact that it’s a fantasy movie, Stardust is perhaps the closest anyone’s ever come to replicating the unique charms of the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. If you have to copy someone, you may as well copy from the best… but that being said, it’s not like it plagiarizes that film or anything, with Stardust‘s narrative instead focusing on a young man who gets pulled into a fantastical adventure surrounding a fallen star, who turns out to be a young woman.

It’s lightweight and a little silly, but in a self-aware way that keeps things breezy and fun, and never to the point where the comedic side of things feels mean-spirited or quite like a parody. It’s an underrated minor classic from the 2000s, holding up well to this day and also being notable for just how many great actors it features in its huge cast, including Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter O’Toole, Mark Strong, and a scene-stealing Robert De Niro.

Watch on Amazon Prime

3 ‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon

An overall strong superhero movie, and one of the better entries in the X-Men franchise, 2011’s X-Men: First Class showed that Matthew Vaughn had what it took to take on and do justice to a large-scale property, with the suitably big budget that comes with such a production. It helped re-orientate and revitalize the X-Men series, centering on young versions of Professor X and Magneto (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, respectively) back before their rivalry began.

Much of it is set during the early 1960s, and it mixes some familiar characters (plus a few new ones) with a historical setting that ensures that X-Men: First Class feels like a breath of fresh air. It can be enjoyed with or without the X-Men movies that were released before it, and satisfies in delivering large-scale action/adventure, coupled with compelling characters brought to life by a group of very well-cast actors.

Watch on Hulu

2 ‘Kick-Ass’ (2010)

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage

By the start of the 2010s, superhero movies were well-established as being among the most popular, certainly when it came to box office numbers. This meant that the genre was ripe for something irreverent to come along and do something more extreme with it, which is just what Kick-Ass succeeded in doing, taking a darkly comedic (and very violent) look at the “reality” of becoming a teenage vigilante without having any true physical powers.

Kick-Ass is crass, and maybe not to everyone’s liking, but the attitude, humor, and vibrancy of it all made it the right movie at the right time. It features one of Nicolas Cage’s most memorable performances in recent memory, had a great villain courtesy of Mark Strong, and also happened to give star-making roles to both Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz. It’s good fun, and sort of edgy in the right ways (for the most part), putting crude comedy alongside stylish action to great effect.

Watch on Peacock

1 ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)

Cast: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson

The first movie in the Kingsman series remains its best, and it’s at the point where any future sequels will likely have a tough time matching or surpassing it. Kingsman: The Secret Service just got things right overall, with the cinematic introduction to the world of the titular Kingsman organization featuring the funniest comedy, most memorable characters, and the most inventive action sequences out of any film directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Like with much of his work, some of the more extreme moments may not appeal to all who watch the film, but those looking for a modern take on adventure/spy movies with plenty of action and humor will likely have a blast. It’s also home to the famed church fight sequence, which has gone on to be considered up there with the most wild action sequences of the 2010s, or maybe even within the 21st century so far.

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