Notable Cast: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong,
Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Sofia Boutella, Jack Davenport, Mark Hamill
“I'm a Catholic whore, currently enjoying congress out of
wedlock with my black Jewish boyfriend who works at a military abortion clinic.
Hail Satan, and have a lovely afternoon madam.” --Harry
Matthew Vaughn took Hollywood by storm with his double
feature of Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, even though he had
already been a name staple previously when partnered with Guy Ritchie. However,
the double dose of awesomeness that is the previously mentioned films made him
an A-list director here in the US. For his latest feature though, Vaughn and
company takes a decidedly old school concept and slather it in modern style. Kingsman:
The Secret Service is wholly homage to the days of outrageous gentlemen spy
films, but completely stands on its own as a massively charming and
entertaining picture. It packs wit, punch, and tongue firmly in cheek to be one
of the most amusing films of the year.
For Eggsy (Egerton), life has been rough. His dad has been
dead most of his life and his mom runs a circle of bad life choices for her
family. When a well-dressed and mysterious gentleman Harry (Firth) shows up to
bail him out of jail one day, Eggsy embarks on a new chapter – as a Kingsman
recruit trained to be the best of the best in spies. His skills will be tested
when an outrageous villain Valentine (Jackson) decides the world needs to fall
to its knees though.
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| The glasses, man. It's all in the glasses. |
Perhaps the greatest compliment one can bestow onto Kingsman
is that, like Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, it’s a film utterly self aware of its
genre and style. It plays into tropes of the spectacle wrapped spy film and at
the same time knows when to break the mold for a modern audience. There are
multiple scenes where Firth and Jackson make straight up references in the
dialogue to the big influence of James Bond in the film and this sort of
acknowledgment of its roots makes for far more enjoyable experiences throughout.
Kingsman knows what it is and simply plays the audiences’ expectations as such.
Whether it’s the villain, the dastardly ‘new world order plot’ pulled straight
from The Spy Who Loved Me, or the terrible one liners, Kingsman
owns its history.
What’s even better is that everyone involved seems in on the
entire concept. Jackson, even with a rather surface level villain, utterly eats
his role whole, one can barely see The King’s Speech Colin Firth for all
of the charm and badassness he throws on display here, and the secondary cast
of Mark Strong and Michael Caine make for limitless possibilities in the film.
Yet, it’s the sheer charm and swagger of Egerton as the young spy recruit that
carries a lot for Kingsman. Never once did I feel a dreaded Baby Bond
vibe from him that would reignite my nightmares about Agent Cody Banks,
but instead he feels perfectly suited for the role and blends right into the
rest of the cast effortlessly.
Vaughn does do himself a favor (and from a blessing from his
studio, I’m sure) and Kingsman perfectly adheres to its ‘R’ rating. The
violence in the film – which is key to its plot, believe it or not – is
astounding in comparison to the rather cut and tailored feel of its characters:
a balance that works splendidly. The film plays things edgy with its political
undertones of satire and never before have you see Firth in a massively violent
church riot (which is as awesome as it sounds) that leaves a body count well
into the double digits, but the lack of a safety net modernizes the rather
Bond-like plot to a new audience and one that will bite into it with
satisfaction.
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| The church scene just might go down in history. |
Kingsman is not perfect and often many of the
training sequences seem a little drug out for the sake of giving us more
spectacle, but the film is a rather brilliant slice of new meets old for fans
of the smirking espionage genre. Vaughn knows how the film should play out to
balance the elements of each and combined with top notch productions and a cast
that’s willing and able to play up to the charm and edge needed, this film is
the perfect kick off for a new franchise. It’s an immensely entertaining romp
and one that come highly recommended.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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