Kingsman: The Secret Service Movie Review

Released: 29th January 2015 (UK)

Length: 129 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella, Sophie Cookson, Mark Strong and Michael Caine

In the world of comic culture, creator and writer Mark Millar has created worthy additions to popular franchises alongside new projects ripe for expanding on in other media. Kingsman: The Secret Service is the latest of Millar’s original works to be adapted and it’s another winner, delivering a wilder, less inhibited take on the spy genre.

Beginning in the Middle-East, Kingsman: The Secret Service follows Harry Hart (Colin Firth) a military man with more than a few extra experiences under his belt. When fellow comrade Lee Unwin sacrifices himself, Harry feels he owes his son Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) a further opportunity. Seventeen years later, Harry finds Eggsy again and introduces him to the Kingsmen, a secret agency of superspies. As the young man goes through training, he learns the value of class and responsibility. Meanwhile multimillionaire Richard Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) plots to trick the world through a delivery of behaviour-altering microchips. Going into Kingsman, you’ll think this is typical spy movie fare, perhaps in the same vein as Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series with some cruder humour thrown in. But what makes it work so well is the narrative point of view and accelerated pacing; you discover and experience the Kingsman agency with Eggsy and as he undergoes training and changes his own image, the villain’s plan also moves forward; these two narrative focuses combine to create an infectious forward momentum that builds and builds over the course of the film. Apart from a few slower moments focusing on the bond between Eggsy and Harry, Kingsman: The Secret Service rarely slows down, ensuring that you remain rooted to your seat throughout. Issues-wise, the only one I had was Eggsy’s father who only gets a brief mention in the film’s opening. He could have been woven into the plot more to add further development to Eggsy’s family moments.

The characters of Kingsman are stereotypical but the main performances all carry a great likeability to them. What makes Eggsy so magnetic is his connections to family and ability to rise above his low roots; he starts off as a troublemaker but thanks to Harry’s guidance, he becomes something more; as the agent puts it “becoming superior to your previous self”. Add to that a  the Kingsmen with a classic British wit. Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine is what happens when you cross an old-fashioned Bond villain with the nerdy culture of today; an often-hilarious bad guy whose nervous disposition to violence is brilliantly contrasted against Sofia Boutella’s impressive physical performance in the fight scenes. The other facet to the characterisation is that it creates a vast divide between rich and poor and the way the two bounce off each other creates many unexpected gags. This is especially evident with the side characters, with the privileged Charlie Hesketh being especially suitably snobbish. But the other characters that make up the Kingsmen are also well-portrayed; Sophie Cookson’s Agent Roxy who pairs up with Eggsy in training and Mark Strong’s Merlin who serves as a trainer and techie are both particularly engaging.

Leaping from comic panels to the big screen, The Secret Service is based in a sort of hyper-reality where a rapid, warped shooting style is paired with crazy over-the-top violence. Compared with the gritty nature of its contemporaries, Kingsman is a breath of fresh air. During the action, the camera will rip around, occasionally zeroing in on weapons and facial expressions to convey its impact. On top of that, the action is often set to the beat of popular tracks, seamlessly blending its cartoonish tone with wacky comedy. CGI is kept to a minimum here and the film manages to walk a line between camp and tense very skilfully. The best action scene by far is a fantastic church brawl towards the end of the second act that words alone can’t do justice; it’s easily one of the best sequences in recent film history. The film’s sets and costumes are also exquisitely produced, tying in with that suave, gentlemanly tone of the agency. Some of the film’s references to James Bond feel a bit heavy-handed at times, but with the film’s roots channelling that series, it’s not really an issue. The music features a couple of pounding British pop songs as well as a set of heroic notes that transfer into the action and reflect Eggsy’s transformation from young delinquent to suave agent effortlessly.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is bursting with style, flair and above all else, awesome entertainment, carving itself a firm place among the likes of James Bond and Jason Bourne; from the moment Eggsy joins the titular agency, you’ll be invested, excited and blown away by its superb pacing and insane action.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)