Mission Accomplished!

Rating: 8/10 (8 February 2015)

Comic book films have become a genre in themselves over the last decade. The well-known characters – Batman, Spiderman, Xmen, Avengers etc have been consistently successful which has led Hollywood executives to plunder the more obscure titles in search of the next big thing. Kingsman: The Secret Service is one such title based on the graphic novel, The Secret Service by legendary writer Frank Miller but the difference is this is not a film to take the kids to. But don't let that put you off, it's one of the most enjoyable and over the top experiences you'll see at the movies all year.
Kingsman kicks off in 1997 somewhere in the Middle East. Secret agents, AKA The Kingsman led by Harry (Colin Firth) are on a mission to extract information from a prisoner who duly blows himself up, killing one of their agents. It's Harry's duty to break the news to his widow and in turn meets young Egsy (played by newcomer Taron Egerton). Years later The Kingsman are looking for another recruit and Egsy (now grown up and in the midst of a local gang war) comes to Harry's attention.
The next hour of the film is a cross between The Apprentice and Full Metal Jacket as the potential recruits are tested in life or death situations and whittled down to find the best of the best. In the meantime we are introduced to token megalomaniac billionaire villain Valentine (Samuel L Jackson) who is making it his mission to sell his "product" to all the world leaders in an attempt to save the Earth from extinction – of course nothing is ever as it seems and it's only a matter of time before the Doomsday clock starts ticking.
It's here that the film starts to have fun. The casting of Colin Firth is a genius move – always known as a gentle type of dramatic actor in his first action role, Firth is let fully off the leash and must've spent months in training for the two brilliantly filmed, and extremely violent fight scenes that are as good as anything similar you've seen on screen before. Taron Egerton – plucked from relative TV obscurity – does a fine job and this will no doubt be the start of a new career for him. Samuel L Jackson is good value and can play this role in his sleep and his henchwoman, Gazelle is straight from the Comics and slices up opponents with her blades that double as legs.
The director Matthew Vaughn (director of Kick Ass – the copied style of funny, ultra violence here is clear as crystal) is also on great form and handles the action superbly - clearly setting the tone to be an enjoyable ride whilst frequently referencing the old school James Bond films before he went all serious – gadgets, guns and girls are the order of the day. All in all, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a cracking piece of OTT cinematic excitement – Mission Accomplished!