Most Self-Explanatory title ever?

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2010)

Director Matthew Vaughn's "Kick-Ass" isn't a spoof of a superhero film at all. Rather it is its' own superhero film. It gives us a lead who wants to be a superhero not because of some higher calling, or a tragedy that would derail most of us but instead is given about 45 seconds of screen time. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is just looking for a little purpose in life. He's a comic book nut to boot and so he dons a green wet suit and is off to disrupt some petty crime in New York City. It's from here the movie takes off, spiraling into dark satire, hysterical parallels, gritty and gory action, etc. Did I mention it also features one of the most controversial and entertaining characters in cinema history? Dave's a pretty normal guy. He pines after Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca), has a pair of funny but dorky best friends (Clark Duke of "Hot Tub Time Machine" among them), and makes deposits in a certain warehouse. Once he takes up the mantra of "kick-ass" he finds himself way over his head. After all he's not Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent. This has shades of "Watchmen" in it. If normal people take up the title of a costumed vigilante they're just still human. The costume is a persona and a representation of an ideal. It's not who they are. Dave meets a father-daughter pair who could care less. Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) looks oddly like Batman and his daughter Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) has been raised to make the Dark Knight look about as threatening as Katherine Hiegl. Why would he raise her so? The movie gives a perverted sort of explanation that makes sense in some odd way. The pair are after Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) a ruthless mob boss. This mob boss has a son who soon goes by the name of "Red Mist" (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Is he a ruthless youngster like his dad or does he simply admire his papa? The answers all come one way or another.
In case you didn't guess Dave is in way over his head. His romance and motivations mean nothing once he realizes just what his adopted profession actually entails. That seems to be the general point of "Kick-Ass". Superheroes can't exist in the real world because what they strive to do is simply impossible. To oust organized crime syndicates and real world crisis's is the job of many men and women, not three extraordinary individuals. The appeal of a film like this is that it's set in the real world. Dave doesn't triumph in his first outings as a comic-book icon. In fact one is downright traumatic. His sobering presence in the film gives it the grounding it needs with the likes of Big Daddy, Hit-Girl and D'Amico shocking their way across the screen.
Now for the issue of "Hit-Girl". If someone were to say they hated the film or couldn't watch it because of her you really can't argue with them. Her character is violent, so mature and the very thought of a pre-teen doing what she does is so scary that present a mountain of moral dilemma? Is it wrong for someone to write her character in such a harsh yet humorous way? What's the point of her character? What about her dad? Best not to think of it all that way. She's a walking, talking, punching, kicking, shooting, swearing send-off of the genre. You want outrageous? Rorsarach would blush. You want sinister and threatening? The Joker would be at a loss for words. In a genre where disbelief must be put on-ice for hours at a time Hit-Girl is its' ultimate symbol. Forget about the fact that she utters the "C" word with the frequency of Joe Pesci, or that she has the maturity of 30 year old Soviet sniper, or that her daddy time is spent both at a bowling alley and taking slugs in the her Kevlar-protected chest. She's killing the bad guys and that's all that matters in a superhero film. The aspect of morality only matters if the good guys don't have it because we know the villains don't.
Any film is nothing without it's' performances. Superhero films are especially vulnerable in this area. "Kick-Ass" provides us with a cast that knew exactly what movie they were making and how they were supposed to fit into it. Cage is at his best here. He brings a controlled intensity to his best roles and Big Daddy is no different. As cool and ferocious as he is you can't help but be totally taken aback by him. Johnson is perfect as the not-to-vulnerable lead. His angst is presented with both hilarity and honesty. Mintz-Plasse will forever be known as "McLovin" but his character has some real depth here. He wants to follow in his father's footsteps but does he really know what his dad does, and once he figures out will that change? The film gives a classic answer. Then there is issue of his dad played by Mark Strong. He is fast becoming his generations' definitive villain-actor. He was sinister and stout in "Sherlock Holmes" but he's a downright a****** here. That's a compliment Mark, can't wait to see you in "Robin Hood".
I don't claim to be a comic-book geek but I get giddy over any great film. "Kick-Ass" is just that. It belongs in the pantheon with "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "Spider-Man 2", "X2" and "Watchmen." Those films all chose to deal with their conflicts both real and fantasy with ferocious action and well-written and serious plot points. "Kick-Ass" certainly succeeds as an action film but never forgets just outrageous it is. The result is something affecting, shocking, thrilling and funny. Bravo.
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