I suppose people may dismiss it because as a whole package it does not take itself too seriously. I admit, that if you want a straight, no nonsense British spy film; Kingsman is probably not for you. However, if you can get past that straight-laced approach then you will quickly see that this film is, despite everything else a huge hit of cinematic fun.
Basically a master/apprentice film, Kingsman tells of a unique organisation of espionage agents, outside the government, who maintain and respect the highest standards of being "gentlemen". Prigs amongst you may see this as old fashioned, I say that it is a daring approach and concept, and one that works, and one that in the end is just so cool. Yes you have the adventure, the action, the sex appeal, the humour...but at the core of it all the film very quickly develops a great sense of intrinsic class that carries everything else. Light hearted, perhaps occasionally flippant, but it is there and it makes for a great watch.
One major surprise for me (but a welcome one nonetheless) was the cast of this film. A quick glance over the trailers did not impress upon me how much of a powerhouse of names this film had, and that these names could give such unique performances in such a dazzling, stylized film. I suppose though, with names like Firth, Caine and Jackson, my surprise was a tad naive.
There is no denying it, Colin Firth makes this film, and what is more he is superb. He manages to shine brightly without overly dominating the cast list. We are used to him of course, as being able to give huge amounts of British charm and class to many a role, not to mention ample amounts of likability. However in Kingsman he not only does so charmingly yet again, but he shows ample amounts of ass kicking ability and smoldering attitude to back it up. Initially, when I saw his first big fight scene, I was a bit shocked, but it does work - the idea that Colin Firth, national treasure can viscerally, swiftly and definitively annihilate a room full of thugs then stand up and brush his suit down is frankly awesome.
To match Colin Firth's gentleman rogue of a hero, Kingsman also had to give us an equally memorable villain. Enter Samuel L. Jackson. As we are used to seeing Colin Firth in a certain role (and saw him in it again plus added extras) in a way we get the opposite with Samuel L. Jackson. Instead of the deep, gritty, powerful bad ass we're used to - Jackson gave us a fantastic simpering, fiercely intelligent, waspish, flamboyant megalomaniac who carried the antagonist side of the film just as well as Firth and co. carried the protagonist.
Caught in the mix of all this, the rest of the quality came in the form of lots of different smaller roles that were basically extended cameos. However almost all of them were of sheer class and power that the end result was something quite enjoyable. Mark Strong (who in the past I could take or leave) gives a sound and again very stylized (not to mention deeply Scottish!) performance. An astonishingly convincing and often hilariously played cameo from Mark Hamill was very welcome, plus a sadly short lived but still equally entertaining appearance from Jack Davenport. Capping it all off we have the legendary Sir Michael Caine overseeing proceedings, again slightly in the background but still with enough character to make things interesting.
Sadly, the only disappointment casting wise is the main new face - Taron Egerton. I suppose it is tough to hold your own in such a fast paced slick film surrounded by such talent, and whilst Egerton does hold his own, there is not nearly enough believability and depth to his performance. He just slips by, but I think in trying to embrace the swagger of his character, he adopted another and undeserved swagger himself.
Kingsman is in my view a beautifully conceived and executed film of pure fun. Well, maybe not pure I suppose, but definitely fun. It keeps you on your toes from start to finish, it is never boring and as I say does everything it does with sheer class; the likes of which I have never quite seen before. It was pointed out to me that Kingsman is a kind of British Django Unchained, and I loved that film too (see my BLOG ARCHIVE - my first ever review) and I do believe there is some truth in the similarity. But comparisons aside, I do think Kingsman is a bit underestimated, which I think is a mistake; if you are prepared to embrace its style and substance, then this film will repay you gladly and superbly.
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