In a major new Empire interview, Vaughn got candid on the reaction to Argylle. Was it disappointing, to garner such a critical reception? “Fuck yeah,” he admits, explaining why he wasn’t prepared for the kickback. “My guard came down on Argylle. We had done test screenings that had gone fantastically well. The premiere was a really fun night, and it was like going back to the Snatch days where there was such excitement. And I started drinking the Kool-Aid.” The reaction was an abrupt shift, given the film’s light and playful tone. “It’s a fun, feel-good movie, or I thought it was a fun, feel-good movie,” he reflects. “We didn’t make Citizen Kane, but fucking hell, then the reviews came out and I’m like, ‘Wait, what have I done to offend these people?’ They were vitriolic. I’m not saying the movie’s perfect by any means, but I didn’t think it was offensive. That took me by surprise.”
Once the verdicts dropped, Vaughn went out of his way to figure out what might have been lost in translation. “I even went round to cinemas because I thought, ‘Maybe I’ve lost the plot now.’ It did rattle me,” he says. “I’m genuinely scratching my head about that, because you can’t ignore it. It wasn’t like [just] a few bad reviews.”
Ultimately, Vaughn remains philosophical about how Argylle was received. “It is what it is. You learn from these things,” he says. And should audiences come round to the film, we may one day see those additional Argylle adventures that the filmmaker had envisaged. “We’re doing very well on streaming,” Vaughn notes. “People are liking it. Nothing would make me happier than making another one. I’m getting texts saying, ‘Wow, those reviews were fucking harsh!’ The more we can get people to watch Argylle, the more chance we make another one. I’d love to make another one, we’ve got it planned.” And yes, that includes the teased ‘Young Argylle’ prequel. “It’ll make a good little movie. We’ll see,” says Vaughn. “Never say never.” One more mission, anyone?