Kingsman: The Secret Service

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.

Well folks, that's how it's done. Ever thought MI-6 (note: that's what the British call their secret service) is a club for snobbish, upper class dudes who like to watch paint dry all they long? OK, Bond is kind of cool (I hated the last two, though), but now we finally got a film that takes spy movies to the next level. Not since 'District 9' have I had that feeling during the watching of a film like "this movie just does everything right" (by which I mean of course: it plays exactly to MY taste).

Compared to this film, every James Bond movie released after 'Licence to Kill' looks like a snore-fest. This is such a kick-ass, "balls against the wall" crazy ride that I had to shake my head several times in disbelief during the screening I was invited to. And I actually knew what I was in for. I've seen every film by Matthew Vaughn, but I was not prepared how far he was willing to go with this one. Thought 'Kick-Ass' was pretty crazy? Wait till you see this.

One of the key ingredients is the casting of the actors. The well known stars all play against type, which makes this even more unreal. Remember that lame dude who mainly played lame dudes in girlie movies like 'Bridget Jones'? He just won an Oscar for playing the stuttering King of England, and as you will see in 'Kingsman', that Oscar was well deserved: that dude (Colin Firth) can play anything! He's more bad-ass in this than Bond ever was!

A word to the wise, though, this film is not for the easily offended or the squeamish. It is a comedy but a very, very violent kind of comedy. And the language alone will shock the MPAA out of their pants. Watch this if you're into films like 'Lock, Stock', 'Kick-Ass', or 'In Bruges' and you'll probably love it - don't bother if you're more into serious films or family friendly comedies. As for me, I had a (bloody) good time.

I was expecting something in the way of a James Bond spoof having only seen a 30 second trailer, how wrong can you be. Instead I got a crazy, mad, violent, nutty and over the top film. It has a definite Britishness to it, it's a very smart looking production, very well acted, with some jaw dropping fight scenes, the visuals and production values are extremely high. The fights involving Sofia Boutella were just insane, she's particularly good. Some big casting, Colin Firth as always makes the perfect gentleman. It's Samuel L Jackson I particularly enjoyed, he was just so funny. Lots of violence, which if it's not your thing you should avoid. Overall, slick and very funny. The world is saved by a chav!! 7/10

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!