Kingsman: 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

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.

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.

Having really enjoyed/loved 'X Men: First Class' and 'Kick Ass' and being someone who likes a lot of the actors, 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' did seem really intriguing.

There was the intrepidation of whether it would balance the violence and humour well, whether the violence would feel too much or whether the humour would leave a bad taste in the mouth. Finally watching it, 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' was surprisingly brilliant. It sends up the spy genre (primarily James Bond), very like 'Kick Ass did with comic books, and does so brilliantly.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is stylishly and audaciously made, with slick visual effects, very imaginative camera work and editing in the action scenes that gives the film an almost operatic grandeur (like in the fight scene in the church), very cool gadgets, richly coloured lighting and audacious production design. The soundtrack is very groovy and catchy, but is careful not to be overbearing, it is far from one-note too and fits with everything going on very well.

Vaughn does a fine job directing here. Not just achieving the right balance of humour and violence (injecting much needed fun into a genre that has become increasingly serious over the years) and keeping the story absorbing and the characters interesting, but standing out in particular were how he properly allows the audience to properly take in what is happening in the action, without jumping around incoherently or being static, and the huge amount of work that he even puts into the little things like with the opening credits.

The film's script is deliciously irreverent, sometimes raunchy, unrelentingly vulgar and very witty, with a plethora of laugh-out-loud funny to hilarious moments. While the action is grim and unflinching (some of it is not for the faintest of hearts) but nail-biting and surprisingly dynamic, the fight scene in the church especially standing out. The story is very clever and absorbing, with incredibly energetic pacing without being too hectic or rushed. The film does deal with the twist well, it could easily have been out-of-place, clichéd or overly silly but it's actually a lot of fun with a touch of humanity injected.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' contains some very memorable characters, including a hench-woman with legs that can kill. It's very well acted too, three of the standouts being Colin Firth, cast against type but doing a phenomenal job (also doing incredibly well in the action), Taron Egerton as an immensely likable main lead and Samuel L. Jackson (though his performance has divided reviewers it seems and understandably), who is clearly having the time of his life as lisping megalomaniac villain Valentine. That is not to dispute Michael Caine, who is more than dependable as a somewhat ambiguous sort of character, and Mark Strong who has a knack of making even weak material interesting, or Sophie Cookson, very fetching though in a slightly underwritten role, and Sofia Boutella who nobody wants to mess with.

If there is something that lets 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' down it is the ending with the anal sex. This was the one part of the film that to me came over as really unnecessary and tasteless, also seeming very out of place compared to the rest of the material and it is introduced randomly. The infamous Princess line is pretty offensively perverse as well.

All in all, though, a surprisingly brilliant send up that does nearly everything right. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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.