Kick-Ass meets James Bond: Superbly Stylish and Highly Enjoyable

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2015)

Kingsman: The Secret Service is the latest hyper-violent offering from Layer Cake/Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn. Starring Colin Firth as highly gentlemanly secret agent Galahad, Kingsman tells the story of Eggsy, (exciting new-comer Taron Egerton) a chavvy London teenager who seems to be at a low point in his life, until he meets Galahad and discovers the Kingsman society, which includes Michael Caine and Mark Strong as members of the Secret Service. As Eggsy begins the process of joining Kingsman, he discovers the plot of human-hating Valentine (a lisping Samuel L. Jackson.)
Now where Kingsman succeeds is perfectly blending elements of laugh-out-loud humour, nailed by the spot-on comic timing of Egerton and Firth, a subversive commentary on the spy genre (from the silliness of the 1960s to the Bourne-ification of the James Bond series) and very fun, extra stylish action sequences. Notably a stand-out sequence in a church full of racist Southerners, to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," has viewers visibly grinning with delight as they watch the eye-catching, finely-staged action unfold. By making the characters and the "gentleman" ideals realistic, Vaughn creates a fine film in which you not only want to be the characters but also could be them. Unlike a certain 007, Galahad and the true Kingsmen represent the qualities of what a real, every-day gentleman, which is both riveting to follow and entertaining to watch.
There is little bad to be said about Kingsman. I suppose if you hated Kick-Ass and dislike the spy genre in general, it is almost certainly not for you, but it is probably worth watching anyway. Also, once the main plot begins to get under way, it slows down for a while. Nothing major actually happens for a while, but it's still highly entertaining. Jackson, apparently doing his lisp on a whim, is just as interesting to watch as always, as is his "legless" sidekick Gazelle. Mark Hamill appears for a while, simply to prepare us for the shock of seeing him on screen again in The Force Awakens this December. All combines to make a thoroughly amusing and exciting film; the best non-Bond spy film in some time. Please don't see Fifty Shites of Grey over this.