Kingsman: The Secret Service

I'm going to be honest about this: I like unabashedly violent action films. I'm 42 years old, I'm from Texas and I can take it. Growing up with films like 'Rambo', 'Die Hard', 'The Terminator' and 'Robocop', I can't stand that watered-down "no-blood-no-swearing" gutless kiddie fare that is being served as "action" these days. I know the real thing when I see it - we used to see it all the time back in the day - and I hardly ever see it anymore.

Which brings me to this movie. 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' was being shown just around the corner from where I live, and because I loved two of director Matthew Vaughn's previous films, 'Layer Cake' and 'Kick-Ass', I naturally took the chance to see it. I had already read some comments from previous screenings that this film was totally bad-ass, and I can now say that's actually putting it mildly. This film is nothing short of bat-shît crazy.

Years ago Tarantino said in an interview that he had written a James Bond script and that he would love to direct a Bond film. Sadly, that never happened, but ever since I read that I wondered what an R-rated Bond might be like. I don't know, maybe Matthew Vaughn has read that interview too and saw the potential, because 'Kingsman' is pretty much that: An ultra violent, funny, crazy, foul-mouthed James Bond film (with a little bit of 'Men in Black' and 'Mission Impossible' thrown in). You could say that this is to Bond what 'Game of Thrones' is to 'Lord of the Rings': Where the former can't and dare not go (for marketing and box office reasons), the latter joyfully and gloriously ventures. Dirty and (very black) humor - check. Bad language - check. Gratuitous violence - check. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

But it's also a fantastic action film with an amazing cast (Oscar winners Colin Firth and Michael Caine, plus Sam Jackson AND Mark Hamill) and spectacular, over-the-top fight-scenes that in some instances even rival films like 'The Raid' for their sheer visceral intensity. In short, if you're as fed up with lame wannabe Die-Hards and Terminators as I am, go watch this film. Apart from the rare 'John Wick' or 'Equalizer', 'Kingsman' seems to be pretty much the only antidote to the toothless, generic tripe Hollywood tries to pass for action these days. 9 stars for the film and the story, 11 stars for the balls to pull this off the way they did. Average = a perfect 10.

EDIT:

P.S. I recently stumbled upon an article on the importance of R rated movies. If you're a film fan (especially of films that don't cater to teenagers), you might find it as enlightening as I have:

www.the-fanboy-perspective.com/the-importance-of-the-r-rating.html

#Kingsman: The Secret Service is a gentlemen secret spy-society that saves the world from a villain with the help of new recruits ... Don't let this summary fool you, the movie fantastic! It got applause at the end of the preview; for me first time ever in a cinema.

Great lines, never laughed this much: Bond with a wink and fresh edge. Plus super shot "martial art" action that should make the Matrix jealous. The action has its true Shakespearian/GoTh moments and all supported by cool tech-stuff. Great aspect in this movie is the music, an extra comic dimension. When you see the movie you'll know what I mean. Next too all the clever fun and furious action, it touches on petty crime poverty and home violence. Matthew Vaugh captures the grimness yet doesn't loose it's lightness ... and I like the message: "a gentlemen is not born, a gentle(wo)men is someone who chooses to be one."

The young gang, like Sophie Cookson, held up well and Taron Egerton established his position in the gang of giants. Colin Firth's aloofness was crowned with a kick-ass bite, Samuel Jackson brings his role back to old fashion comedy, strongly supported by Mark Strong and Michael Caine. It is a big 9,5 - this movie just nailed it.

It's got a solid story with strong acting and a great cast. It has good humour, plenty of violence, bad language, stunning cinematography and perfect pacing. I was very pleasantly surprised with this movie; I avoided it at the time of release as I dismissed it, under the opinion that I wouldn't enjoy it. However, it was impossible to avoid the glowing reviews, so I went into watching this movie intrigued if it would live up to its reputation.

First off, the casting and character selection is very impressive, Colin Firth in particular shows us again his splendid acting abilities. He is the perfect choice for the role he played, in my opinion. The lead character, who the story focuses around - Eggsy (played by Taron Egerton), does a good job playing his character, although I personally found him very irritating. He plays a young chavvy youth, making the transition from street kid to secret agent. He brings the urban language, attitude and temperament to the service which is very out of place but necessary for the story. Samuel L Jackson plays the bad guy very well. The quirkiness and style portrayed is fun to see and fits the style of the movie well. Michael Caine, Mark Strong and all the other supporting cast don't feel out of place (if not a little stereotypical from some of them), they still do a notable job.

It is refreshing to see a movie of this genre so well made with a strong cast, not hold back when it comes to violence. The violence in the movie is one of the most inspiring aspects, it isn't over the top and you never feel like it has gone 'too far' but it is certainly more graphic than your average mainstream movie of this genre. There is a church scene in particular which stands out for me, it has a perfectly choreographed, one camera shot, fluid moving scene which is simply perfect. It's violent, with some surprisingly fresh martial arts and a cool choice of music to go with it!

Kingsman: The Secret Service is different to your usual run of the mill spy movie. It's hard to explain until you watch it, but it's got a certain spin on it, it's quirky, funny and makes many references to other spy movies and how this is a parody. Not in the sense of Austin Powers but it does make tongue in cheek references to James Bond, with some striking similarities. It has style, a fun and quirk edge and it is beautifully made with a plausible run time of just under 2 hours. Believe the hype and give this movie a watch. It's definitely worth your time!

8/10

P.S. The outrage that seems to have swept the internet over the very last scene (so much so, that some versions of this movie have the scene removed) is nothing short of ridiculous. It's political correctness gone mad.

Matthew Vaughn is now one of those directors that I can trust. This is my third movie I've seen by him and he still has not disappointed me. I remember when I first saw Kick Ass and was blown away with how great it is (probably in my top 25).

This film is a big shout out (basically) to old spy films. It has everything: women, awesome fight scenes, gadgets, and even a ridiculous villain. Samuel L. Jackson plays the villain in this movie, and it's nice because we usually don't see him in that role. He also had a lisp in the entire movie so almost everything he said would make me chuckle. There's also a girl who has blades for feet, which is outrageous but because how Vaughn did an excellent job with choreographing fight scenes, her role worked really well into the film. It's the same for Jackson's character.

The action scenes in general were fantastic. Like I said in the last paragraph, the choreography is very well done. This is also because of the smooth editing and shots Vaughn chose for all of the fight scenes. It's a very fun thing to see.

There really aren't any huge gripes for this movie. The only small thing that I can think of is I wish there was a bit more of Cookson's character in the third act.

Kingsman is a fun spy thriller movie that had me laughing many times and also had more than a few boundary-pushing moments. However it all worked because of the smooth editing and well-choreographed scenes along with great acting from the entire cast. If you are looking for a good popcorn movie to see, this is a movie you should see with your pals.

I just came back from a pre-screening of 'Kingsman' and let me tell you: if you liked the first Kick-Ass, you are going to LOOOVE this film! I would never have thought that a stiff Brit like Colin Firth could pull off action - but boy, does he whoop ass in this one. I thought the story was rather original (don't know the Comic), it's a bit like an ultra violent James Bond parody. Or better: a crossbreed of Bond and Kick-Ass. Finally an action movie that doesn't use kiddie-gloves. The kid who plays the recruit is also worth mentioning. I've never seen him before but he really nails it. There's a lot of humor in this film, it really doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's not overdone. And Sam Jackson finally found something he hasn't done yet. I guess his role was already spoiled a bit in the trailer, but believe me: you haven't seen Jackson in this kind of part before. This is an excellent, over-the-top bloody and sexy film for fans of old-school action films. I give it 10 stars. Highly recommended!