In my opinion, this is the first great
film of 2015, for better or worse.
As a director, Matthew Vaughn has done
no wrong for me. Layer Cake was an excellent British crime film in
the vein of Guy Ritchie's best. Stardust is one of the most
underrated fantasies around. Kick Ass is still one of my favourite
Graphic Novel adaptations, and X-Men: First Class is easily my
favourite X-Film. So I've been looking forward to Kingsman: The Secret Service for a while
with high expectations. The excitement increased knowing that this
film was an adaptation of another Mark Millar novel, the writer of
Kick Ass. So yes, I was expecting an ultraviolent satire on the
apparent turn on old school spy flicks. For the first time in 2015, I
was not disappointed.
This film's greatness begins with King
Colin Firth. Given his filmography, there's a good reason to
disbelieve anyone saying he could be a badass but this movie proves
his versatility. He serves his purpose both as the lead in an action
film and a walking throwback to the spy films of old. On top of that,
he brings a respectability and sincerity to the film that it would
miss if Firth wasn't there. The perfect contrast, of course, is
Samuel L. Jackson at his overacting best. He brings the gravitas that
only he can to a role meant to be simultaneously overly theatrical
and legitimately dangerous. Again, not unlike the Bond films of old
(you see the theme here?). Add in some British mainstays like Mark
Strong and Michael Caine, and newcomer Taron Egerton as co-lead Eggsy, and the cast is strong enough to carry the film alone. Thankfully, it
didn't have to.
The plot of the film is fairly
simplistic, but effectively tells two stories in one. The film splits
time between following King Colin leading an investigation into the
acts of Sam Jackson trying to take over the world (because of course
he is), and the training of Eggsy as the potential new member of the
spy organization that Firth's character is a part of, the Kingsmen.
It's always tricky spliting up stories like this, but it's a common
occurrence and this film is more fluid with it most times. The two
storylines intersect often and in a way that makes sense. It's easy
to follow, light hearted (for the most part), and so much fun.
If there's a problem, it's that the
silly, fun feel of the film contrasts with the shocking violence of
the film. This was something I expected after having seen Vaughn's
past work and after reading the source material. But with the way the
film is marketed, it would be very easy to be misled. The language
and violence of the film seems out of place a lot of the time.
Kingsman is very reminiscient of Kick Ass in this way, but differs in
that most marketing for Kick Ass featured teases of what was coming.
No one was caught off guard. Don't get me wrong, the action was very
well done, with a fast, hard hitting pace that fits the chaotic
presentation of the film, and I thought the ultraviolence added
effect to the satirical elements of the film, but it could easily rub
people the wrong way if the audience isn't expecting it.
What really endeared me to this film,
though, is the open shots it takes at the modern action film. Spy
films in particular have taken a very dark, earnest turn over the
past decade or so. Comparing a Connery-era Bond film with Skyfall is
like putting the Dark Knight Trilogy up against the Marvel films.
Similar content and source material but nearly polar opposite tones.
While I certainly like a lot of the new generation of films such as
the Craig-era Bond films, the Bourne movies, etc., Kingsman reminds
us of another time. In more ways than one, since on top of
being stylistically similar to the spy films of old, Kingsman calls
the modern films out on their shit. The characters have open
discussion about the old spy movies and how they are missed when
compared to the darker, more serious films of the new age. All done
with sting that only British humour can pull off. When Skyfall came
out, I expressed my displeasure with it for essentially shitting on
the horse that brought it. The backbone of James Bond is the legacy
of cheeky one-liners, femme fatales with ridiculous names, and
overelaborate and easily escapable death schemes. Kingsman not only
remembers that, but points the finger at those that don't but should.
It's basically Kick Ass meets Austin Powers, but in the best possible
way.
Just remember not to expect a carbon
copy of your favourite Bond movie. It's not that kind of movie, bruv.
Knight Owl
No comments:
Post a Comment