Vaughn had a shot at a classy spy film, but overshot the mark

Rating: 2/10 (21 January 2015)

Walking into the cinema... I was looking forward to this film. Kingsman looks to be a return to the old-style spy films, but is this film meant to be a farce, a fantasy or an attempt to get back to the traditional Bond style?
Overall rating: 1.5 stars Cinematic value: 1.5 stars Family value: 0 stars
"You are about to embark on the most dangerous job interview in the world." - Merlin
For those who are clued into the comic world, Kingsman: The Secret Service is an acclaimed series from Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. The spy-recruitment story is not original, but seeing Colin Firth (The King's Speech) as a super-spy presents new possibilities to this familiar genre. Firth plays Harry Hart, who is a part of the Kingsmen, a super-secret spy agency that attempts to recruit Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton) to the spy world. Egsy is the typical misguided youth who does not see his potential until Harry Hart comes into his life. The recruit goes through an accelerated spy training that leads to his role in saving the world.
Matthew Vaughn (X-men: First Class) seems to be attempting to go old-school and bring back tailored suits in the espionage world, but quickly shows that this is not going to be your father's spy film. Not to be considered too prudish, but this film pushes the edge of the envelope with language, violence and sexual situations and then keeps going. Gone are the days of subtle winks and innuendo, this visual experience smacks you in the face with twists on the traditional spy story and then kicks you while you are down for good measure. Vaughn seems to take from Quentin Tarantino's playbook, where nothing is too extreme. Tarantino has moved film making to a new level and his writing is unparallelled in the industry, but Vaughn is not Tarantino. Sometimes violence and language does add to the entertainment experience and the storyline, but this film merely is trying to shock the audience and hide the poorly executed story. The characters lack depth and as Harry says in the film, "Those films are only as good as their villain." Samuel L. Jackson as the villain, Valentine, is not convincing and is poorly written. Which can be said of the film, to Kingsman seems to be marketed to the teen market, but this film will make even the most discerning adult look away and blush at the closing scenes.
In attempting to find redemptive qualities to Kingman was difficult, there is nothing to consider. The only recommendation is to choose another film. There is no redeeming value to this film and it would go against all sensibilities to recommend it.
Leaving the cinema... Reality did not meet expectations with this film. The marketing is deceptive and the film is not for the audience they are targeting. Usually willing to allow for artistic license, this film is a film of extremes that does not deserve an audience. Reel Dialogue: What are the bigger questions to consider from this film? 1. Is there a 'line' or discernment to film viewing? (John 7:24, Philippians 1:9-10) 2. Where does the notion of the sanctity of life come? (Genesis 1:27, Matthew 5: 21-22)
Written by Russell Matthews based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews