Tags
action, awesome, cinema, colin firth, Kingsman: The Secret Service, matthew vaughn, movie, review, samuel l jackson, spy
Kingsman was a refreshingly self-aware piece of bombastic adrenaline on a screen. Director Matthew Vaughn, a man who is acclaimed for his genre-on-steroid escapades with fantasy (Stardust, 2007) and super-hero (Kick-Ass, 2010), brings his unique style to the spy movie and… boy, does he. Effectively not shying away from a 15 BBFC certificate, Vaughn gives us what a 60’s Bond would have looked like in the modern day with Tarantino-level violence. That, alone, already provides entertainment value. However, when you learn that this kind of blood-heavy action’s catalyst is Colin Firth, it just makes you want to cry awesomeness from your eyes in liquid form. Quite literally for a lot of unfortunate characters, with a spectacular sequence of multi-coloured exploding heads beign a particular highlight. The stand-out of this star-heavy romp – Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Samuel L Jackson and, rather endearingly in his year of resurrection, returning Jedi Mark Hamill amongst those on the bill – is actually newcomer Taron Egerton as youth-turned-gentleman Eggsy, providing a Londoner of the street who avoids our society’s negative ‘chav’ stereotype and, instead, makes for a very real and intelligent character who audiences of any social background can empathise with. As for the suits, damn, women are going dribble litres over a suited-and-booted Egerton… actually, even Caine pulls it off pretty well. As for the gents, you’re going to love the closing shot (just you wait!): you’re also going to want an umbrella as your number one choice of weapon. But, seriously, go and see this film… right now! Assemble to Kingsman.