Yes it is a bit pro violence, but this is one of the most entertaining films I've ever seen.

Rating: 9/10 (10 September 2010)

I never saw 'Kick Ass' in the cinema, I bought it recently on blu-ray as it is recommended by many. After watching it I had to say "Damn! Why did I miss this at the cinema?!" I love watching films not knowing what to expect, being surprised and amazed while watching it, and that is exactly what happened with 'Kick Ass'. All I really knew about the film prior to watching was that it is about some douche who becomes deluded into being a superhero and that it is also pretty violent, there is much more to it than that. There is also the outrageous black humor, a crazy mob family, Nic Cage, and one of the most bad-ass characters to ever have appeared on a screen - an eleven year old girl!
'Kick Ass' (based on the graphic novel), follows the tale of a normal teenager Dave (Aaron Johnson) who like everyone else exists in a violent and dangerous world, and wonders why no one wants to be a superhero. After being mugged by knife wielding thugs, Dave finally decides to do what others won't and becomes a superhero called 'Kick Ass' despite having no powers or any kind of training at all. He so fittingly puts it later in the film "Just a dick in a wet suit". His first fight against crime (unsurprisingly) doesn't go well - he gets stabbed, run over by a car, and barely survives at the hospital. When he returns he is still absolutely determined to be a superhero, and heads out onto the night streets once more, completely blind to how ridiculous he looks to everyone else. Needless to say his second venture to help others ends rather well. He accidentally ends up in a brawl with some crooks and successfully fends them off. The fight gets filmed by some civilians and is put on YouTube and becomes the most watched clip on the internet, and Kick Ass instantly becomes famous across the country.
He catches the attention of two other 'superheroes', Big Daddy (the legendary Nic Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) who have a story of their own. These two unlike Kick Ass mean business serious business. They don't just fight crime - they obliterate it! Going against many superhero trends they kill criminals instead of capturing them, making Batman look like a fairy queen. It turns out Big Daddy has a vengeful history with the films villain – powerful mob boss Frank D'Amico (played by the fantastic Mark Strong) and has been training himself and his daughter Hit Girl to destroy D'Amico's entire crime empire. Kick Ass manages to land himself right in the middle of this crime war, and it threatens to doom him and everyone around him, including his budding love interest Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) who thinks he is gay. He discovers being a superhero isn't as cracked up as he thought it would be.
The acting is great all round, Aaron Johnson is suitably wimpy and unforgettable as the titular character. Nic Cage is on fine form as Big Daddy, being crazy, funny and sympathetic all at once, it's a shame he doesn't appear more. Mark is 'Strong' (hee hee get it?) as the villain, something that he is becoming quite notable for doing now. While D'Amico is a cruel and cunning mob boss he also has a family which makes him more interesting, and he isn't a super villain like in other superhero films, he is a real world bad guy. The funniest character had to be D'Amico's nerdy son Chris (Christopher Mintz Plasse) who becomes another 'superhero'- Red Mist.
However the real star of this film is unquestionably Hit-Girl played by the delightful Chloe Moretz. This little girl is a MACHINE!! She also happens to be the source of the films controversy and fame. Never will you have seen such a young child kill so many adults in a single film ever, and in such brutal ways. She is also a potty mouth and probably swears more than any other character, and trust me this film has lots of swearing! Which begs the question, how is such a brutal and offensive character so charming? The finale of the film belongs to her when she raids D'Amico's building, and one of the craziest action sequences I've ever seen unfolds. She practically becomes the main character at the end, and Kick Ass became more like the sidekick. You just want to run up to her and give her a big hug, at the same time you probably also feel like fleeing from her.
Do I have any negative comments about the film? Well actually I do. The film is a bit too violent for its own good. I'm amazed this film didn't get an adult rating; it has more swearing than a Tarantino film, a few unsettling torture and interrogation scenes, and LOTS of blood. As much as I love Hit-Girl, I have to admit it was a bit disturbing to see such a young girl wield guns and knives like a pro. I can understand some critics' arguments about the film trying to encourage children to be violent, but the violence is not to be taken seriously. Also I found Dave's two 'friends' to be quite unlikable, I don't know if they were supposed to be funny, but they came across as irritating and mean.
'Kick Ass' is a visual treat, and has fantastic pacing, you will never get bored for a second. The film is really a study of superheroes in the real world. In our world if someone tried to be a superhero, they would either be deluded losers like Kick Ass, or extremely violent vigilantes like Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, which is interesting, however it doesn't show us all this without having a lot of fun. It isn't to everyone's cup of tea, but if this is your tea, you're going to lap it up!