PLOT: A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Source: www.imdb.com
REVIEW: NOTE: Minor spoilers in this review. Kingsman: The Secret Service is a blended martini of two parts James Bond influence, one part Austin Powers parody, and one part originality, making for a tasty concoction that won’t become your favorite go-to at the bar, but is still worth a try.
Director Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass, X-Men: First Class) feels particularly inspired and energized here. This is a thoroughly entertaining film that goes for it with every opportunity. When there’s action, he ups the ante, with unique special effects, camera moves and a signature fight choreography that justifies the existence of this film in the spy genre. When there’s violence, he heightens the reality to deliver some gruesome and truly hardcore moments. And when there’s comedy, he goes for broke. Sometimes it works, sometimes it bombs, but the effort is commendable.
The story follows the tried and true convention of plucking our protagonist, who is rough around the edges and undisciplined, from obscurity, then giving him training and motivation to evolve into the hero he’s destined to be only to save the day from the looming threat. Taron Egerton, as the young heartthrob, Eggy, delivers a believable performance. He doesn’t play it as gritty and hardcore as he probably should be at the beginning, nor do we fully accept him as the perfectly tailored gentleman spy he transforms into at the end. Yet he remains somewhere in between, with both aspects of his life doing a tug of war with him. Perhaps, then, it is intentional that when he is street, there’s still a streak of good in him, and when he’s refined, there’s a hint of bad boy that still lingers.
Colin Firth steals the show as Eggy’s mentor, Galahad. He executes his role with the pristine perfection of the character he is portraying. He is stiff, cold, methodical and focused when he is in secret agent mode, and yet there is a genuine warmth, a caring nature to him. He is willing to die for his country, yet he has a compassion for life as well. If anything, Firth is too good. When Galahad goes away and the focus shifts to Eggy, some of the energy and power of the movie diminishes.
Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of the maniacal bad guy bent on world domination is worth the price of admission. As soon as he delivers the first few lines of dialogue, you will either be on the ride with him, or you will be annoyed by him. I was entertained by it. Jackson took an antagonist with a motivation as cliché as Dr. Evil and put his unique spin on it. Thus, where the character really should have been one note, he adds a surprising and refreshing layer to the role.
The supporting characters are mostly recognizable faces, and superb actors, from Michael Caine to Mark Strong and Jack Davenport, and a fantastic little role for fan favorite, Mark Hamill. Hmm, I wonder if Hamill took the role to dust off the mega-budget mainstream acting chops in preparation for a little known movie coming out this holiday season?
The biggest downfall with Kingsman: The Secret Service is that it doesn’t give itself enough credit as a unique and original adventure film. It constantly reverts to the safety net of sticking to the cliché James Bond formula during pivotal moments when it could have branched out and delivered something original and special.
The most offensive example of this is the relationship between Eggy and his fellow spy-in-training. Roxy, portrayed by breakout star, Sophie Cookson. The two are supposed to be competing against each other and other trainees for the coveted opening with the Kingsman, and yet from the very beginning, there is a clear bond between the two. They look out for each other. They save each other. And while the film doesn’t take us into obvious territory by having them kiss, or nearly kiss only to be interrupted, the chemistry between them is so apparent.
And so we feel cheated by the end of the movie. Eggy and Roxy have to go on separate missions. When Roxy completes hers, aside from a brief moment of being thrilled for Eggy over walkie talkies, her role in the film ends there.
Meanwhile Eggy, while on his mission, is given the opportunity to save a princess. When he does, she offers herself to him in a rather vulgar, albeit humorous, way. Eggy, unfortunately, doesn’t think twice about it. Basically, he chooses to bang the princess and gives no consideration to the one true person he’s supposed to have feelings for. In that moment, Eggy is no gentleman spy. When Galahad mentors him, we don’t ever see Galahad seduce women as passing fancies. We appreciate that he is a more refined, more evolved James Bond. As much as this is intended to be a parody of a 1960’s James Bond movie, this is one of those places where Galahad’s character shows an evolution beyond the Connery-Bond stereotype. Eggy, on the other hand, falls into the stereotype, to the detriment of the character, which leaves the audience feeling a bit more hollow and numb than we should by the end.
This is why I’m not entirely sure this film has sequel and franchise potential. There’s a good amount of fresh originality to be found here, but it’s reliance on the Bond movies of old for its formula can only take it so far. In the first movie, we already have a bad guy obsessed with world domination. Been there, done that, just as with Bond and with Austin Powers. Where can Kingsman go to keep the characters fresh and the stories original? I’m not so sure it has it.
As a stand alone movie though, this is a fresh, fun adventure, and well worth a watch while sipping a martini.
GRADE: B.