Enjoyable over the top spy action

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2017)

The Kingsmen are a well-funded, well equipped secret service organisation not under the control of any government. When one of their agents, 'Lancelot', is killed in the line of duty each of the others must nominate one person to compete for the position. Harry Hart, code name Galahad, nominates Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin; the son of an agent who died saving Galahad. It soon becomes apparent that most of the other candidates see him as a council estate oik but as the training progresses and others drop out it becomes clear that he might just have what it takes to become a Kingsman. While this is happening the Kingsmen work to uncover what Lancelot was doing when he was killed; signs point to American billionaire Richmond Valentine who it turns out has a rather drastic plan to solve the problem of over population.
This is clearly trying to be like James Bond turned up to eleven; in some ways it works; in others it doesn't. Colin Firth does a fine job as the suave Galahad; a character that felt like a cross between James Bond and John Steed but more violent. Taron Egerton does a solid job as Eggsy, Sophie Cookson was good as his friend Roxy and Mark Strong is good as tech-specialist 'Merlin'. As the villain Samuel L. Jackson was rather fun although he was overshadowed by Sofia Boutella who made a great henchwoman; the way she used the swords built into her characters prosthetic legs was certainly memorable. The action was fairly over-the-top in a rather fun way; it is violent though in an early scene a man is sliced in half vertically; if that doesn't bother you the rest should be okay. Strangely the ending which features many exploding heads eschews gore in favour of a firework like effect that felt a bit too cartoony for my taste. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the genre; it skilfully manages to walk the fine line between a 'proper' spy movie and a parody it isn't for the too easily offended though.