A film like Kingsman: The Secret Service rarely works in practice. I'm pleased to report that Matthew Vaughn has managed to make a wonderful film that functions as a send-up and as a spy movie. The film, an adaptation of the graphic novel by Mark Millar, follows everyday teenager Eggsy as he is inducted and trained as a spy for the titular espionage organization, the Kingsmen. The film is a visual delight, full of witty writing and a distinct visual style.The opening immediately sets the tone for the action and humor to follow, with a raid on a middle-eastern compound scored to the Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing". However, the rock disappears as the action intensifies and we are shown the dichotomy this film presents- as we solemnly pause for a single death. One of the more interesting elements the framing of this film chooses to bring to your attention as a viewer is the contraditctions of the emotional scale. A single man dying is a tragedy- but a mass of them is a joke.
The man felled is the father of our protagonist, Eggsy. Taron Egerton here shows much promise, playing the role of the juvenile delinquent cum aspiring spy rather well. Eggsy's home situation with his mother's abusive boyfriend is played with much gravity to the credit of the filmmakers. The film takes the characters and more realistic situations with all the seriousness they deserve- making it all the more a joy when Colin Firth's agent Galahad gives said boyfriend an intensely violent lesson in manners in the process of recruiting Eggsy to the Kingsmen.
But as Galahad himself remarks in a rather meta exchange, a spy movie is “only as good as their villains”. Our organization's foe is the comically squeamish Richmond Valentine- a billionaire convinced humanity is a virus, who plans on causing the death of the many to allow the few to rebuild the Earth in a culling. A stellar performance by Samuel L. Jackson makes Valentine the kind of memorable villain James Bond has been trying to create for a while- and of course, he has a henchwoman with a gimmick. Gazelle, played by Sofia Boutella, has some of the most inventive fight choreography of the film, thanks to her prosthetic bladed feet. The plan is grand, and the stage is set as Eggsy is led through training to become a Kingsman.
The outcome of this plot is all rather typical in general structure but made engaging and interesting through the use of a very distinct visual style, liberal use of extreme stylized violence, and a good helping of comedy and self-awareness. At one point, Galahad is posing as a billionaire to get information out of Valentine, and the pair has a discussion directly referencing the fanciful James Bond movies that this film makes a job of deconstructing and reconstructing. The film also has rather clear themes throughout of how violence should be- and isn't- a last resort in our world, and less subtly, a through plot that comments on the obsolescence of class systems.
Intelligent, violent, fast-paced and fun, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a rare send-up that legitimately works as an example of the genre, in the vein of Galaxy Quest or Men in Black. The action is stylish, the parts well-played, the script well-written. If the film has an Achilles' heel, it's going for the R-Rating with language. It gives the movie a much more edgy feel at the expense of losing a little bit of the usual spy-movie luster. But like Valentine says... “This ain't that kind of movie.”
Disclaimer- This film was seen at a free preview screening. Despite this I have tried not to let this affect my review of the film.
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