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| Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson and Taron Egerton. |
Kingsman: The Secret Service barrel rolls in as one of the most audacious films I've simply ever seen. I don't usually review a film but I felt given it's performance I was pretty much obligated to.
It feels more than anything like a big mash up of everything you could enjoy in a film. It's got fantastic acting, hilarious writing and a plot that is completely generic for a spy film (a quirky bad guy with intent of dominating the world through money or technology) whilst managing to actually be an entirely individual film in itself, which is a rarity.
The first few scenes give you an edging sense of dread, not because they are necessarily of poor quality but more-so because they are somewhat ridiculous. To be blunt, someone gets chopped in half. If that ever becomes a recognisable sign of a good movie - let me know.
And yet, after chopping someone in half, you just can't help but to be absolutely enthralled by the plot, despite it being ridiculously far-fetched and what is quintessentially a comedy, it still manages to grab you by the throat and make you watch (I think it's Colin Firth).
Colin Firth plays Harry, a veteran 'Kingsman' (a dapper British spy) who's life was saved by a fellow spy in a previous mission, Harry seeks to keep his friend's legacy on by selecting said friend's son as his new protege for Kingsman training - Eggsy, played by newcomer Taron Egerton, whom is remarkably likeable for his debut role. The Kingsman do of course face their big bad bond-like enemy.
This is Samuel. L Jackson as you've never seen him before and I still can't work out whether it's good or bad, but I'm going with it. He's got a lisp. He's pretty camp. He "can't stand the sight of blood" and he's also the big bad guy behind it all. He plays the billionaire entrepreneur Richmond Valentine who seeks to kill off a decent slice of the world population by offering free sim-card like chips into everyone that allows him to control their behaviour. Of course, what's preventing him from his evil plot? The Kingsman of course! From sharing a McDonalds meal to slaughter in a church. The film is simply brilliantly outrageous.
Martin Vaughn has stripped a lot from the comics of the same name but re-worked it into a bond homage more than anything. But the comic book essence is still present - bulletproof umbrellas, shotgun pistols and hologram glasses.
There are a lot of gags - some of them fall short, mainly a few references to 'My Fair Lady' and a few that are just aimed at the 'common londoner', but ultimately the film manages to be riotous and pull all the right heartstrings without diving too much into the realms of clichè.
Grab a martini. Get suited up. Get to the cinema.
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