Violent, gory and just plain fun.

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2017)

For someone who has never even heard of the Kingsman comic let alone seen the movie, I was unsure about what I would get when I sat down to watch Kingsman: The Secret Service. Well, mark my words when I say that this movie straight up rocks! From it's fast-paced action and wit to it's homages and mockery of the spy movie genre, this is everything that the modern James Bond movies wished they could be.
The movie begins in 1997 where a secret agent named Lee Unwin loses his life to protect his team during a raid. After that, the squad leader Harry Hart gives a medal to the Unwin's widow and her son. 17 years later, a professor is abducted by humanitarian Richmond Valentine while one of Hart's fellow agents code-named "Lancelot" tries a rescue only to be killed by Valentine's henchwoman. We then cut to Garry "Eggsy" Unwin living with his mother and stepfather and while he is an smart and gifted young man, he lives the life of a common theft. After being arrested for car theft, Garry is freed and seeing potential in the boy, Hart takes him under his wing to become a Kingman. Now, Eggsy must complete his training and stop Valentine from ending humanity.
With the overabundance of comic book films in the last few years, some have fallen into the pit of trying to be too somber or brooding, however where Matthew Vaughn's foresight rests on and what his previous comic-book movies have proved so far is that they walk a fine line to where the tension and solemn character moments conclude and the parody and comedy take over, leaving a distinctive action film that manages to stand out from the watered-down bloodless action films that keep getting released. Kingsman is a movie that's completely unmatched and its own thing while wholly adopting its English cultural roots, even the marketing for the movie takes cues from the Bond films. As Kingsman is an out of the ordinary movie, it works within the context of the spy movie genre by itself but also it takes jabs at spy movies and their clichés that it could be seen as a comedy/spoof much like the Austin Powers films, but personally I see the movie as a complimentary tribute to the genre. The best example of this in the movie is during the cabin fight sequence where there is a jug of whiskey, several men are killed and not a drop of whiskey has been spilled and then Lancelot shoots his fingers at the past and say that they are the future, a perfect homage to the genre. Also, Kingsman mixes the appeal of spy films such as the bizarre gadgets, the exaggerated villain, and the aristocratic spy with new ideas and it does so perfectly while also breathing new life into a genre that has gotten way too serious over the last few years and it's so energizing to watch a movie that isn't nervous to have some fun or make some jokes as opposed to some recent action movies.
The way the film is shot is some of the finest I've seen in any action movie and the cinematography is truly eloquent but without the quick cuts and shaky cam that continue to plague modern action films and is mostly done in one shot which gives the movie a bit of fluidity. Of course a great spy movie is nothing without a lot of gory action and Kingsman delivers that in spades and the over-the top violence is one of the movie's largest selling points, now I personally don't care for extreme violence in movies just for the sake of having it, but seeing somebody be killed in a movie without showing any blood or the ramifications of that action is an insult to the viewer and it dilutes their joy when watching the movie. Thankfully, Kingsman doesn't suffer from that which allows Vaughn to go all out with the action and gore and while there are plenty of stand-out action set pieces throughout the film such as a fight in a pub where Harry Hart knocks out several guys with an umbrella or at the end when Eggsy takes on Valentine's henchwoman, the crown jewel of the movie's action scenes is a scene where Harry is in a church where everything breaks loose and people go crazy and shooting commences, easily one of the most perfectly composed action set pieces in any action or comic book movie.
Of course, a film of this caliber wouldn't have been as good had it not had a cast of great actors to play these characters, but Kingsman delivers that in spades and every actor plays their role to perfection. Sofia Boutella is deadly and outrageously exciting as the iron leg wearing henchwoman Gazelle. Samuel L. Jackson is wonderful as the villainous Richmond Valentine and has the right amount of stagecraft to him and yet manages to be quite witty at the same time with his lisp and loathing for blood. Mark Strong is engaging and reliable as Merlin and makes the role even better with his Scottish accent. Sophie Cookson is wonderful as Roxy, however it's Taron Egerton who is the breakout star of the movie and he is incredibly appealing, enduring and downright hilarious and yet still stays true to who his character is and has jokes for every circumstance, but Collin Firth nearly steals the entire movie as Harry Hart which given his knack for playing serious roles, would come across strange but Firth is so wonderful as a cultured spy and it's so energizing and enjoyable to see Collin step out of his serious acting shoes and play a more vibrant character and rounding out the cast is the always wonderful Michael Cane as Arthur.
I can't praise Kingsman enough, it's just a total blast to watch. Go watch it already!