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| My own infographic on Vaughn's filmography. Please click to enlarge. |
The
recent release of Kingsman: The Secret
Service reminds us of how talented writer and director Mattew Vaughn is.
Looking back at his directorial work, it is not hard to understand why he has
been both so commercially successful and critically acclaimed. One could argue he simply makes big-budget, commercially-oriented blockbusters, yet his films do not simply aim to mindlessly entertain the
large multiplex audiences at which they seem to be targeted. The personal touch
of the director is always visible and his films have more than the average
Hollywood action flick to offer.
Vaughn’s
directorial debut is the 2004 crime thriller Layer Cake, which is also the only film he has directed without having
written the screenplay himself. Still, the amazing final twist of the film was
his own idea and didn’t exist in the original script. Also, the film stars
Daniel Craig and it is thanks to this role that he was considered as the next
James Bond. Layer Cake might not be
as memorable as Vaughn’s following films, but it is undoubtedly impressive as a
debut.
His
second film is Stardust
(2007). This is a family-friendly fantasy film, based on Neil
Gaiman’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of a man who enters a world
of magic, in order to find a falling star and bring it back to the girl he is
in love with. Only, in the world of Stardust,
stars look like human beings! The movie is but a wonderful fairy-tale about love, as well as Vaugn’s most tender
and moving film to date.
Stardust was well received, both by critics and in the
box-office, yet it was not until 2010 and the cinematic adaptation of Mark
Millar’s graphic novel Kick-Ass that
Vaughn’s career was decidedly launched. The film Kick-Ass, although less unconventional than its source material, is
an impressively fresh take on the super-hero genre, featuring both satire and
gory, R-rated violence (even involving children!). In Kick-Ass, Vaughn demonstrates excellent directorial abilities and a deep understanding of what makes a film
truly entertaining.
One year later, Vaughn went on to direct X-Men: First Class. This X-Men prequel came after two considerably disappointing
films in the franchise, only to turn out to be arguably the best X-Men film ever! Vaughn’s take on the
popular mutant team is refreshing and substantial, as the film truly pays
attention to its characters. Perhaps, even more than to the action itself! Thanks
to Vaughn (as well as his excellent casting choices) the X-Men franchise was successfully reborn. The following film in the
series, Days of Future Past, is
co-written by Vaughn and it is almost as good.
Vaughn’s
latest film Kingsman: The Secret Service
is to the espionage genre what Kick-Ass
is to the super-hero genre. Having once again adapted the script from the
homonymous graphic novel written by Mark Millar, Vaughn demonstrates the same
amazing ability to blend unconventionally brutal action with humour and also
with hints of social commentary, making a film that, above all, is extremely
entertaining. In fact, it’s probably as entertaining as films can get.
I think
Hollywood filmmakers should really take example from Matthew Vaughn. With five
films to date, he has managed to deconstruct and provide a new, fresh take on
two different genres, as well as decidedly revitalize a long-running Hollywood
franchise.
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