James Bond has a great history in the ‘spy movie’ genre – a series with 23 films to its name must be doing something right! The only other franchise that comes close is the US offering in Mission Impossible. Every now and then another comes along that piques interest in the masses; The Bourne Series for example, and, to a different extent, Austin Powers. The great news is that Kingsman: The Secret Service is ticking enough boxes that this could be the start of a fresh spy series unlike any of the others.
Like most Matthew Vaughn movies (Layer Cake, X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass) The Kingsmen doesn’t take itself too seriously, but by no means parody like Austin Powers. It doesn’t use tired tropes to get the story along. In fact it uses them to cleverly point out its clichés with tongue placed firmly in cheek.
With this in mind, it’s the scene is set to deliver an unconventional narrative, where the audience is only being given enough details to follow what’s happening, but nowhere near enough to predict the events that unwind.
Harry Hart, played by Colin Firth, is a ‘Kingsmen’ – a suave, sophisticated and smart spy in need of a new recruit. He picks up the son of a fallen Kingsmen, Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin, (portrayed by newcomer Taron Egerton).
Eggsy is what the British call a ‘chav’ (we’d say ‘bogan’), and he is taken to the academy filled with silver-spoon snobs to train for the elusive chance to be called a Kingsmen of their own in this super secret society… but only one can make the cut.
At the same time, Hart is tracking mysterious billionaire entrepreneur, Valentine. Played by Samuel L Jackson, who is expertly cartoonish as the villain, Valentine’s plot rivals that of any of James Bond’s arch antagonists and the movie pulls no punches in reminding you of the fact. The plot masterfully dances between knowing what happens next and ‘What the hell just happened?’ and it’s beautiful.
While the script is tight, the acting is tighter – even from the newbie, Edgerton, who holds his own against Colin Firth, Michael Caine and Mark Strong. Also, the soundtrack is mint, mixing classics with some hits and also an epic score to boot.
Kingsmen offers plenty of surprising scenes, namely the action sequences, which are frenetically shot and edited, as well as just being absorbing without the need for frivolities such as exploding buildings or invading aliens. Often less is more, and it shines through in the impressive action scenes and the unexpected laugh-out-loud moments.
Matthew Vaughn’s hit rate is impressive. He’s directed five films, four of which are awesome (you can skip ????). Kingsmen is right up there, but what makes it appealing is that it is different while being familiar: a complete rework of a loved film genre.
It’s not going to win any Oscars anytime soon but it won me, and if you’re keen for a movie that is simply fun, then Kingsman: The Secret Service is for you
Hey? Who doesn’t love fun?
