Kingsman: The Secret Service [2014] is director Matthew Vaughn’s (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) homage/send-up of the Bond films of old. In it, the British spy organization known as the Kingsman and agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) must recruit new, young blood when another agent is killed in the field. We follow Eggsy (Taron Egerton) as he goes through a rigorous set of trials to try to become a Kingsman all while the lisping megalomaniacal tech billionaire Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) plots to take over the world.
Look good, feel good. Kingsman features some wild action to go along perfectly with its zany tone. POV shots, kinetic gunfights, and cool gadgets separate this from the rest of the action movie pack. You will most likely never see James Bond dropping f-bombs and doing parkour in a gunfight, but you will find that here. And the (in)famous church scene that took the internet by storm? Yeah, it’s as cool as they say.
Kid’s got a bloody cheek. The Bond comparisons are a little obvious, but relevant since Kingsman was inspired by 007 so much. However, if Bond is the gentleman, then Kingsman is the chav. This film has a real attitude evident in its slick, violent action and its wicked sense of humor. Heck, the main character starts out as a member of the chav culture and works to become a gentleman.
I don’t give a tuppenny f*ck… In Kingsman’s efforts to differentiate itself from its inspirations, some problems arise. Logical inconsistencies, thematic and moral conundrums, and a few jokes taken too far weigh down a very exciting film. Themes are brought up and established, then ignored in certain scenes. Some violent scenes played for fun contain terrible, gruesome acts that should be treated as such, not as rollicking good times. That is strictly from a moral perspective, though. Cinematically, these scenes are very well-crafted and a blast to watch. However, one may end up feeling bad about it when they’re over.
Energetic, funny, and maybe even a little depraved.
As John Bender once said, “Being bad feels pretty good, huh?”
