The Big Picture · Discussion · Interview

‘Argylle’ and the Death of the Winking Action Movie

February 7, 2024/ 112 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins pan Matthew Vaughn's ‘Argylle’ and use it to chart the rise and fall of the ‘wink action’ movie, then Sean talks to Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Arcel about ‘The Promised Land.’

4 films across 2 segments.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

‘Argylle’ and the Death of the Winking Action Moviewith producer Bobby Wagner

Argylle 2024

Matthew Vaughn's roughly $200M spy comedy, which the hosts saw alone and hated. Bryce Dallas Howard plays novelist Ellie Conway, revealed as amnesiac, MK-ULTRA'd agent Rachel Kyle (R. Kyle → "Argylle"); Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, and a one-day Samuel L. Jackson fill it out. A C+ CinemaScore and a ~$16M opening against a reported $200M budget. Sean calls it the definitional "wink action" movie and the sign the genre is dying.

Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Arcel on ‘The Promised Land’

Mads Mikkelsen & Nikolaj Arcel on

The Promised Land 2023

Arcel's 1750s Danish historical epic (Danish title "The Bastard"), with Mikkelsen as Captain Ludwig Kahlen, a stubborn illegitimate soldier trying to farm the untamable heath. They talk final cut, telling story through Mads's face, and why Danish directors make their worst films in Hollywood.