What They Say:
A spy organization 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.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (newcomer Taron Egerton) is a working-class young man who lives on a council estate in London. His father died when he was a child, and his mother later remarried an abusive thug. He washed out of the marines before finishing; one in a long string of not living up to his promising potential. When he’s arrested for stealing a car and hitting a police vehicle, he remembers something the man who came to tell his mother about his father’s death said: the medal he presented had a number on the back, and if ever they needed a favor to call that number and say “Oxfords over Brogues” so he’d know it was them. Eggsy takes a shot on it, and finds himself released from police custody. On his way out a gentleman in a fancy suit named Harry Hart (Colin Firth) asks to talk and have a drink.
At the local pub they talk, Harry quizzing Eggsy on his wasted potential, when the goons whose car he stole previously show up. They work for Eggsy stepdad, who has issued free reign for them to beat Eggsy up. Harry, unimpressed with their behavior, decides to teach them a lessen about how manners maketh man. This lesson is delivered by a thoroughly satisfying action sequence of Harry beating the crap out of them, and showing off impressive skill. Eggsy is duly impressed and Harry has decided upon Eggsy as a candidate as a replacement candidate for Lancelot in the Kingsmen, a secret organization of gentleman spy with Arthurian code names. Eggsy’s father was a new Kingsmen recruit, and died saving Harry/Galahad’s life, leaving Harry to feel indebted to look out for Eggsy.
In the beginning on the film, Lancelot (Jack Dvenport) had gone on a solo rescue mission to save a Professor Arnold (Mark Hamill) from capture only to be sliced in half by a mysterious woman with razor sharp leg prosthetics who then cleans up to greet her boss, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). When a Kingsman dies, the remaining can put forth a candidate to replace the fallen Kingsman. And so Harry chooses Eggsy, in a move their boss, Arthur, seems disgruntled about as Harry has chosen candidates who don’t fit the posh bill Arthur prefers.
And so, Eggsy agrees to go through the candidate trial, meets other candidates including token, jerk toff boys and two of the female candidates, one being the friendly, determined Roxy. The candidates go through many trials, and Eggsy makes it to the final round only to fail when he refuses to kill the puppy he was tasked to train as part of their trials. Roxy is chosen as the new Lancelot, Eggsy is sent home. Harry is dismayed, but also busy investigating global leaders and important figures going missing, Lancelot’s murder, and how it all ties to Valentine. His search ultimately leads him to a church, which the Kingsmen discover is part of Valentine’s plot. As he’s about to leave, he isn’t quick enough and ends up caught in a fatal “product” test.
Eggsy, upset and wanting Valentine stopped, teams up with Roxy and Merlin, the Kingsman tasked to test the candidates who also doubles as the Logistics guy. They uncover Valentine’s terrible plan to cure the Earth of it’s “virus”(overpopulation), and it’s up to them to save the day and for Eggsy to prove he has what it takes.
In Summary:
Oh. My. God. This movie is beautiful, glorious hyperviolent spy flash and trash dressed in a gentleman’s suit. This movie cheekily plays with several spy movie tropes and knows it does. This movie was just what was needed after a stressful work week. Is it high caliber, high-brow material? No, oh God no, but it’s fun. The fight sequences are some of the best choreographed and shot I’ve seen in a while, especially that church scene which was shot with one camera and almost entirely all Colin Firth, who did about 80% of his own stunts.
It was likely a gamble for director Matthew Vaughn to cast Firth in such an action-centric role, but it completely works. Firth brings the gentlemanly presence and charisma and because you rarely ever see Firth in such a fighting role, it makes the surprise badass moment of him beating the snot out of chavs in the pub feel more amped up. Much like how Eggsy did not expect that of Harry upon first impression, the same can be said of the audience and Firth. He completely owns the role of Harry. Newcomer Taron Egerton managed to make Eggsy, working-class with a big chip on his shoulder, likeable and the underdog you want to root for. He’s never too cocky or arrogant, or too woe is me. It’s a hard balance with that kind of character, but Ergerton is charming and will likely have a nice career ahead of him. The cast is all around good, and my only persnickety feeling is that the movie giveth me the Jack Davenport then immediately taketh the Jack Davenport after having him burst in so suave and awesomely only to kill him in like five minutes. Please someone give me a JackDav spy movie.
The movie looks good, the fights look good, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and let’s face it, where will you ever see such an analogy for fireworks exploding to cheery music that by the way it’s not fireworks exploding. There is one sex-related joke at the end that a lot of viewers didn’t like, but Vaughn explained it was there to spoof how some of the Bond movies end with Bond cheesily hooking up with a lady. If anything, I still find “I thought Christmas only came once” or whatever that terrible joke was in The World is Not Enough more cringe-worthy.
At the end of the day, this is a fun movie that I could definitely see reaching cult hit status and I would be very okay with a sequel. It’s certain better than Fifty Shades of Grey and probably less batshit than Jupiter Ascending.
Grade: B+
