Nothing more obnoxious than how this movie has been co-opted into the smug, dude-bro culture war that’s had every year about it being a Christmas movie. It’s such an exciting milestone for the action genre and filmmaking as a whole, it deserves a better legacy than what it’s getting. 

And while it makes sense to me that a certain category of men cling to it as a Christmas movie just because it’s got guns, it’s still funny how a lot of those same dudes would be pissed to hear it’s from a liberal director who infused it with a ton of anti-capitalist messaging and rejection of 80’s excess. (by the way McTiernan's discussion of it as a christmas movie is fascinating and worth the 12 rambly minutes.)

It always amazes me how a movie this quickly plotted has so much room for character and slow dramatic moments. Argyle is one of my favorites and almost entirely “inessential” to the story but, this being a Christmas movie, a large crew of personalities is part of what makes it so enjoyable. 

One thing I’m never forgetful of is how great this thing looks. Jan De Bont was on another level 🤩