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Kingsman: The Secret Service

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Taron Egerton and Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Secret Service (Fox)
Taron Egerton and Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Secret Service (Fox)

MOVIE:

Kingsman: The Secret Service

OUR RATING:

4/5 Stars

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

The story of a super-secret spy organisation that recruits an unrefined, but promising, street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program—just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

What we thought:

I have been amped for this film ever since I saw the first trailer. Colin Firth kicking scum-ass with a freaking umbrella is like poetry in motion. And luckily, the rest of the movie ended up being the most fun you ever had at watching bad guys get beaten up, combined with the sleek and class of British chivalry. Move over Christian Grey - a well-tailored suit has never looked this good.

A sexy, sexy English delinquent Eggsy (Taron Egerton) constantly gets himself into trouble, until he meets a mysterious tailor (Colin Firth) who knew his father before he died. As the misfit trains to become part of a secret service, an atypical American billionaire megalomaniac schemes to change the world – not necessarily for the better.

Although the plot might sound a little cliché, nothing could be further from the truth. Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) used all the classic tropes we came to love from the old James Bond films – snazzy gadgets, billionaire villain, sex appeal – and updated it with today’s realities and issues, making it appealing for young and old. Eggsy is a street-smart wise-ass, but with a sense of compassion hardened from growing up on the wrong side of the tracks in England. Witty but endearing, Egerton is a brilliant newcomer with the charm of a millennials’ Sean Connery and would love to see him helm Kingsman as a franchise (and never have I wanted a sequel to a film as much as this one.)

Firth and Samuel L. Jackson, who plays scared-of-blood villain Valentine, are old hands but so well-cast that I think this might be one of their best roles. For Firth, imagine Mr Darcy took martial arts and you have Harry Hart, aka Galahad, the sleek spy with moves that will make Jackie Chan jealous. Sophie Cookson’s character as Eggsy’s competitor but friend was also a breath of fresh air, functioning as a spy partner instead of a romantic interest for the male lead. Sofia Boutella was also stunning in her action scenes, utilising her skills as a dancer for out-of-this-world fight sequences.

And the fight sequences were just… something else. Bloody, seamless and brutal, yet almost artistic. The choreographer and cinematographer worked together in beautiful harmony, as the cameras tracked the kicks, punches and bullets to precision. In one intense scene I found myself smiling the whole way through – the more blood and limbs flew the giddier I felt. You will only understand once you watch it, unless extreme violence isn’t your thing. Then you should maybe give this a skip.

What also makes this film fantastic is that it holds no pretences about what it is. Three times in the film they have a go a breaking through the fourth wall, and they do so brilliantly. They even make fun of the more serious spy movies and themselves, and these little jewels are like crack for film fans. When done right, it just adds that extra layer of depth to a very fun film.

Kingsman: The Secret Service treads the line between silly and serious like a pro, mixing the classic with the modern as well as newcomers with veterans, and ending up with a bloody impressive film that has punched its way into one my top favourite movies ever.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

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