It's fair to say that James Bond is the staple of the secret agent spy genre. It's a franchise that's been going for over fifty years. Since then, there have been several different variations to the spy genre, several homages to the Bond/spy genre, and several parodies of the genre. Somehow, Kingsman is a combination of all three. It takes the already established spy genre (in an almost entirely meta fashion) and tweaked it to fit it's own story. Then, while doing so, it is able to pay homage to the classic Bond films as well as parody all of them collectively. The result ends up being a fast-paced, yet never unsophisticated, hilarious action romp that delivers on nearly every beat it serves. It's fun and wildly entertaining... and that's all you can ask for when searching for a good secret agent spy film.
Based on a comic book, or graphic novel, I don't really remember or care because it's still infuriating that Hollywood is now essentially refusing to release original scripts anymore so everything has to be based on something else. Whatever. It's source material had pictures... I think. Anyway, the Kingsmen are a secret spy organization based in the deepest catacombs of England. They work on their own in the utmost secret having little to no government affliliation and are essentially modern day Knights of the round table. Enter Galahad (Colin Firth) the top agent looking to recruit a new agent into the Kingsman to replace a fallen spy. He chooses Eggsy (Taron Egerton), the son of a fallen spy who, 17 years prior, saved the life of Sir Galahad. Eggsy is a troubled teen, always in trouble with the law, who still has a good heart and a likable persona. Galahad sees potential in him and recommends him to the Kingsman society. Most of the film is him training with other recruits in order to get the coveted position. During the training, billionaire genius Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is up to something sinister, but not yet explained. However, it's apparent that some wild shit is going to go down. Now, without spoiling anything... yes, shit happens. And yes... Eggsy and Galahad are involved. But, why spoil all the fun here? It's a blast to watch.
The best part about Kingsman is how balls out it goes. Helmed by director Matthew Vaughn whose prior films include X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass... this is not uncharted territory for him. He has a style all his own and when he's free to let loose and spill as much blood as possible is when his films succeed. Kick-Ass never would've worked as a PG-13 vehicle. It was glorious watching a 12-year-old girl spurting heinous profanity and dismembering countless bad guys. The same works here for Kingsman. Yeah, it isn't nearly as graphic as Kick-Ass, but the two scenes where Vaughn channels his inner 16-year-old thirst for onscreen blood is where the movie hits its peak of fun. It's bloody. Oh, is it bloody. And graphic. And choreographed to perfection. Those who are squeamish may want to get some more popcorn, but those who can take it are in for a treat.
Colin Firth, as always, is the most fun to watch. He's able to bring a sophistication to the Kingsman that makes Bond even look like a hooligan. Samuel L. Jackson is also quite good-- though the character is a little strange. He's a madman... with a lisp (which, I'll admit, does nothing to the character, but if you can get past it, it's not so bad)... who is squeamish at the sight of blood and death. But, it's Taron Egerton as Eggsy that really steals the show. I'm unfamiliar with his prior work, but he's brings a troubled charm to the character that really allows the audience to sympathize with him instead become ambivalent.
There's always a red flag when a film which was supposed to come out in summer is pushed back to the next year's winter line up. This is usually due to poor test screenings leading to substantial reshoots that do absolutely nothing to improve the quality of the overly shitty film (I'm looking right at you Seventh Son). However, thankfully, this is not the case for Kingsman. As far as I can tell it was pushed back to winter so that it wouldn't have to compete with the blockbuster movies of summer and have the ability to own the winter weekend when nothing but complete trash is posted on the marquee (this absolutely includes 50 Shades of Grey). So, if you haven't been to the movies in awhile... which I'm sure is the case because there's nothing worth watching right now... this is the film to break that streak. It's fun. It's funny in a very tongue-in-cheek kind of way. It's action-packed. It's got great characters, a great story, and everything you could want to be entertained for a solid two hours. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.
A-
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