Kingsman: The Secret Service is the latest collaboration between Matthew Vaughn and comic book writer Mark Millar who we last saw working together on the hyper-violent and hyper-funny superhero comedy. This time they've moved from superheroes to super spies with Colin Firth playing a John Steed type elegant suave and formal gentlemen of the 007 variety. When a member of his service is killed in action, Firth’s character puts forth an unlikely candidate played relative new-comer Taron Egerton. Once enlisted the two must work together to stop a mega-maniacal billionaire played by Samuel L. Jackson who has a very specific plan for wiping out most of the people on the planet and a lisp, he has a lisp, a very irritating, very annoying lisp.
Let's get this out of the way first, the film is super-violent, and much like with Kick Ass this is not been clearly conveyed in the advertising for the film. Much like Kick Ass it's being marketed to a younger audience with it’s colourful characters, flashy imagery and rocking soundtrack but those same kids can't get in to see the film because of the MA15+ rating. And it is rated this way for good reason. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it but when it gets violent, it gets violent, with fingers getting shot off, heads exploding, bodies getting cut in half and impallings just to name a few.
The action is great with fast-editing and creative camera work to really build up the energy when these characters start a fight. There is one scene where Colin Firth takes on nearly a hundred racist religious nuts, and the choreography and cinematography is almost like nothing we’ve seen before. There is some dodgy CGI throughout these scenes which can take you out of the moment but for the most part it gets away with it.
There are some great pop-culture references that come straight from the mouth of Millar and it is very self-aware of its references to the classic Bond-era of spy movies. The film has its’ tongue wedged firmly in its’ own cheek when referencing many of the cliches it either avoids or embraces whole-heartedly.
Colin Firth is the perfect gentlemen’s spy and Taron Egerton ascends the what can often be an irritating teenage London thug in the less capable hands of someone else. Samuel L. Jackson brings what Samuel L. Jackson normally brings to any film however this time with a lisp. When you first hear it it is funny, but after about a minute the joke wears off and grows very thin come the end of the film. There is a great array of British supporting actors to round out the film including Mark Strong and Michael Caine. We have a quick appearance by Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, however I can’t help but feel if the role had been bigger then they would have cast Eddie Izzard as it felt like Hamill was just doing a bad Izzard impression.
As I said, there is a lot of fun to be had when watching this film that transcend a lot of the flaws. The motivations of some characters seem often forced, there are plot holes all over the place, and you have characters introduced only to serve as plot-devices that have very little pay-off.
I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of the interviews of the comes off as very arrogant and incredibly full of itself But the most frustrating thing is guys actually has talent to back up that arrogance...
Kingsman: The Secret Service gets Three and a half out of Five really annoying lisps...
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