Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Written by Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn, based on the comic book The Secret Service created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons
Cast: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Mark Strong, Mark Hamill (yes, THAT one), Sophie Cookson, Sofia Boutella, Jack Davenport, Geoff Bell, Ralph Ineson, Edward Holcroft, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Hanna Alström, Richard Brake, Corey Johnson, Samantha Womack, Tobi Bakare
Soundtrack: Henry Jackman & Matthew Margeson
When initially asked to describe Kingsman in only three words, I simply said, “Quite a cocktail.”
And it is.
And it’s delicious.
Kingsman is a wonderfully-balanced blend of the following spirits: every
The result is the most gleefully fun movie I’ve seen since this past summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
To put it into better context, 2012’s Skyfall, in addition to being “Bond 23”, was a celebration of fifty years of the James Bond franchise, and a fitting tribute it was; very cool, very classy, and very regal.
Kingsman is also largely a celebration of Bond, but more so of the more, shall we say, ‘B-movie’ elements; those guilty pleasures that serious critics might be afraid to admit they love, but, deep down, we as fans all do. Things like: a villain with some sort of impediment; a henchman with some sort of enhancement; massive underground lairs; unbelievable gadgets; and an outrageous, nefarious plot that puts the whole world in jeopardy; not to mention gunfights, car chases, and proper action.
At its core, Kingsman is a crowd-pleaser. It gives the people what they want, and does so with style and flair. I can almost guarantee I’ll go see it at least one more time in a theater. I know it was originally slated for a fall US release (as you can clearly see at the end of this trailer), but what I can’t figure out is why this wasn’t a summer release. I guess compared to all the remakes, sequels, and amusement park rides on the way, Kingsman is severely lacking in the “name recognition” department, but, then again, nobody had ever heard of Guardians of the Galaxy before, and look how that turned out; it only made three-quarters of a billion dollars worldwide.
Anyway, I hypothesized that Kingsman would be a welcome return to form for director Matthew Vaughn, after about a ten-year hiatus from the British-produced action films he cut his teeth on, and, boy, was I right. I mean, Kick-Ass is pretty good, and X-Men: First Class has its moments, but, on the whole, they’re not that great. Kingsman, at least from an entertainment perspective (I really need to revisit Layer Cake one of these days), is definitely Vaughn’s magnum opus to this point. His passion for his source material (both direct and indirect) is very apparent, and, much like a Wright/Pegg/Frost production, there’s no trace of parody here; this is a love letter.
Performance-wise, I don’t think there’s an albatross in the bunch. Colin Firth is his usual classy self as not-“James Bond”, but also most certainly gets special commendation for pulling off a very high percentage of his own stuntwork, which I can’t imagine he’s ever had to do for a film before; not to this degree, anyway. I mean, can you think of a signature Colin Firth stunt or fight sequence? I can’t, yet he pulls it off like a total pro here. Kudos to you, sir.
Besides that: newcomer Taron Egerton (God Bless the Welsh) gives a very natural performance as the street rat savant “Eggsy”; Michael Caine is his regal self as not-“M”; Mark Strong puts on his best Scottish brogue as not-“Q”; and Sam Jackson gives a delightfully playful performance as not-“Steve Jobs”. Or is it not-“Bill Gates”? I don’t even know anymore.
If I have one legitimate criticism of Kingsman, it’s that some of the action sequences are shot/edited a little too newfangled for my taste (although it’s admittedly better than the shaky-cam madness of Quantum of Solace), and some of the visual effects could have looked better, but that’s more of a nitpick. Given that this movie was produced on a budget one-third that of Skyfall, I’m not going to complain that much about such things.
So, if you like James Bond movies, or need a primer on why other people like James Bond movies, or if you just happen to be both an Anglophile and an action fan, then you should definitely go see Kingsman in your local movie house.
It’s fun. It’s frenetic. And it’s got balls.
You’ll love it.
Rating: ★★★★½
Oh, P.S.
There’s a stinger during the credits, but not afterwards.
You’re welcome.