Well-executed, over-the-top action film

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2015)

This easily blends the fast-paced and unbelievable action of a comic book film with the absurd, dry British wit of excellent veteran actor Colin Firth. He is Harry Hart code named Galahad, a member of a secret international espionage and intelligence organization called The Kingsman. He recruits Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin (Taron Egerton), a young 20 something petty criminal who's the son of a friend that died saving Galahad years before.
Eggsy is competing with other young recruits, most of them young people from British aristocratic families, for the spot to become the new Lancelot. At the same time, tech billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson with a strange lisp and Yankees hat) is plotting a dastardly world takeover with comic villain aplomb by kidnapping or recruiting wealthy aristocrats, politicians, and other people with spreading around money and influence to further his plot. A large part of that plot is the global distribution of free WiFi-enabled sim cards.
The Kingsman have the unique guise of posing as tailors to Britain and the world's wealthiest and influential people. They operate out of an enormous underground complex based out of an above ground tailor shop. They're independent of normal government oversight and restriction, having operated since the early 20th century shortly after WWI ended. "We are the new knights," is how Galahad explains their mission to Eggsy shortly after his recruitment.
Matthew Vaughan and comic book Mark Millar who previously worked together to bring Kick-Ass and Wanted to the big screen, once again collaborate with even better results than these previous films. This is easily Matthew Vaughan's best film since his British gangster film days. What really makes this film work so seamlessly though is the performance of Colin Firth, he's the perfect gentleman spy and he gives a perfect credibility to the all the gadgets, martial arts and intense action scenes.