After successfully translating Kick-Ass to the big screen, comic book writer Mark Millar and director Matthew Vaughn have teamed up once more to bring another of Millar’s creations to life in Kingsman: The Secret Service. With a solid cast, a near-perfect blend of action and humor, and one of the craziest climaxes I’ve seen in a long time, this should serve as a welcome bit of counter-programming against this weekend’s other offering, the atrocious Fifty Shades of Grey.
Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is the sort of well-dressed secret agent you would expect to find in any number of 1960s-era spy flicks, a member of an elite group of espionage experts known as Kingsman. After the sudden death of a colleague, Harry has been sent on a recruiting mission, and he nominates Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a streetwise troublemaker from London whose father was killed while saving Harry’s life some 15 years ago.
As Eggsy and the rest of the candidates are put through a rigorous series of training exercises at the hands of Arthur (Michael Caine) and Merlin (Mark Strong), Harry is trying to find out exactly why a shady internet billionaire named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is giving away free access to his worldwide communications network – and why a number of celebrities and political dignitaries seem to disappear shortly after meeting with the “philanthropist.”
I don’t want to spoil anything else, but suffice to say that Valentine’s scheme is exactly the sort of thing you would expect from a classic Bond villain – except this one wears a New York Yankees cap, speaks with a pronounced lisp, and gets nauseous at the sight of blood. He even has a Jaws-like henchwoman (Sofia Boutella) whose prosthetic limbs are made of razor-sharp steel, and she’s more than happy to utilize them in any of the film’s numerous fight sequences.
Speaking of which, there’s an incredible scene at the end of the second act that feels like a juiced-up version of the prison yard fight from The Raid 2. It’s brilliantly choreographed, insanely violent, and makes Colin Firth look like he could beat the shit out of Jason Bourne and Jackie Chan simultaneously.
Firth is obviously having the time of his life in Kingsman: The Secret Service, dressing in the finest suits, using the coolest gadgets, and kicking copious amounts of ass. But it’s Egerton who truly emerges as the star – he’s endearing and charismatic, and he steals the film right out from under the noses of his talented co-stars. Expect great things in the future from this guy.
While audiences may find themselves divided on the film’s third act, which is admittedly far more batshit crazy than everything leading up to it, Kingsman: The Secret Service is ultimately trying to do something that seems to be less and less prevalent on cinema screens these days: have fun. And in that, it’s wildly successful, and a much-needed breath of fresh air.