RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2015
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
MPAA RATING: R (for sequences of strong violence, language and some sexual content)
SCREENWRITERS: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman
STARRING: Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Colin Firth,Taron Egerton
GENRE: Thriller, Action, Adventure
[divider]
Kingsman: The Secret Service is cool as hell. It’s about an underground secret organization of spies that’s even secret to people like the CIA and MI-6. But, they’ve been around for a long time. Now, one of their own has been killed in the line of duty. It’s time to gather up new recruits to see who’ll replace him as a Kingsman. The question is, will any of them survive long enough to take the title ? The story centers on Eggsy, a young man who had a rather bright future in the past but now is a reprobate. With a loose mother whom is being abused by her boyfriend. Eggsy is arrested by the cops after one of his “adventures” and calls a number given to him when he was a child after his father was killed as a Kingsman himself.
The tale, in and of itself, isn’t especially unique or anything but the way it’s told is what made me love it. The story is based off of a Mark Millar (Kick-Ass) comic of the same name. So expect raunchiness, expletives, and violence but, done quite politely. You see it mostly takes place in England so all but a few main characters are English. There’s a very James Bond quality to what is shown on screen but done with a tongue firmly placed in cheek as the movie is self aware. There’s a part where Samuel L. Jackson tells the Kingsman he’s facing that he loves old spy movies and that they were at the part where he tells him his plan and tries to kill him in an elaborate way. And right before he shoots him he tells him “This ain’t that type of movie.”
I loved the cast as they all brought something awesome to their respective characters. Eggsy was a crass little guy but, you always felt like he was better than that thanks to the portrayal of Taron Egerton. Mark Strong plays Merlin the tech wizard and operations handler. He plays the role with a little bit of a swagger that lets on he’s more badass than he shows. Colin Firth is Harry Hart, Eggsy’ mentor and the guy that his father saved. He’s a mix between a few different James Bonds. He’s Pierce Bronson smooth with Daniel Craig physicality. Samuel L. Jackson plays the villain, Valentine. His character is the evil version of Russell Simmons. His lisp is freaking hilarious and you can’t help but giggle at him talking anytime he’s on screen. The action is done well. It’s brutal and hard hitting. The humor is at the forefront of all the brutality as the jokes fly fast and furiously. The jokes come at the right time to lighten up some of the more violent moments.
I found little fault in the movie. It was maybe some of the special effects that irked me a little but very little. The acting was fantastic as everyone fit in to their roles amazingly. The plot was silly but that goes with the feel of the movie and it is handled perfectly by having the characters be self aware of how crazy it all sounds. I wouldn’t bring the kids because it’s a very for adults film. Other than that, I just couldn’t recommend this movie enough to people who love action movies.
