Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Spy Action Comedy
Running time: 129 minutes
Released: 2014
distributed by 20th Century Fox
Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), whose late father secretly worked for a spy organization, lives in a South London housing estate and seems headed for a life behind bars. However, dapper agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recognizes potential in the youth and recruits him to be a trainee in the secret service. Meanwhile, villainous Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) launches a diabolical plan to solve the problem of climate change via a worldwide killing spree.
Kingsman: The Secret Service was a pretty interesting take on the spy film genre. I found it to be a nice middle ground between James Bond and Austin Powers. Kingsman has its fair share of humor as well as some more serious thriller action scenes. However, I found that the film’s comical violence did not mesh well with a spy film.
The protagonist Eggsy is selected by his late father’s mentor Harry Hart to try out for a vacant spot in Kingsman, an international spy organization. While Eggsy undergoes his trials, Kingsman investigates a billionaire called Valentine and his connections to multiple VIPs that have been disappearing around the world. When Valentine’s nefarious plans come to light, Eggsy finds himself in a situation where it is up to him to save the world.
This film had its moments that appealed to me. I found Kingsman to be best when the tone is more light-hearted and pokes fun at classic spy film tropes, such as Samuel Jackson in his role of the billionaire James Bond-esque super villain Valentine with his dangerous henchwoman. However, the crudeness of the film’s attempts at humorous violence weighed it down. There were a number of Tarantino-style scenes that I found off-putting, like a scene in a church filled with people engaging in a last-man-standing fight to the death and another where peoples’ heads explode in fireworks.
While I found the film to be a good timewaster, I can see how others may find aspects of it to be ridiculous and over the top, like the comical violence and the super villain’s desire to wipe out the world’s population in the name of that which must not be named because of spoilers. If you are not put off by the film’s ridiculous nature, I would recommend this film for a good laugh.
Author: Austin
Austin enjoys reading fantasy books and watching a variety of films from actions to dramas. In his free time, he can be found gaming.
Alexia561 says
I actually enjoyed this one more than my husband, which surprised me. It was so over the top that you couldn't take it seriously, so I just sat back and enjoyed the show. I didn't really care for the ending with the blonde girl, but other than that, had no complaints.
Nicole Hewitt says
I don't mind over the top humor if it's not gross-out humor – not sure how I'd feel about violent humor (I don't think I've really seen many movies with violent humor). Sorry you didn't love it, but it sounds like you were at least amused!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
iLuvReadingTooMuch says
Haha, I totally agree with you! While I liked bits of it some of it was just WAY over the top. Great review 😀
Shooting Stars Mag says
Sorry you didn't really LOVE this one. I really loved it, but then again, I thought most of it was rather humorous, even the over-the-top violence. It's also a graphic novel, which I totally want to read now.
-Lauren
Soudha Parsan says
This movie sounds like the perfect pick for days when I need to watch something light and fun. Thanks for reviewing this movie 🙂
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