Kingsman: The Secret Service

***Kingsman: The Secret Service*** is a 2014 British spy film directed by Matthew Vaughn, and based on the comic book *The Secret Service*, created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The screenplay was written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. It follows the recruitment and training of a potential secret agent, Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), into a secret spy organisation. Eggsy joins a mission to tackle a global threat from Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), a wealthy megalomaniac. The film also stars Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Michael Caine. *Kingsman: The Secret Service* premiered at the annual film marathon Butt-Numb-A-Thon on 13 December 2014, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 29 January 2015. The film received positive reviews, and has grossed over $414 million worldwide, becoming Vaughn's most commercially successful film to date. A sequel is scheduled for a June 16, 2017 release.

## Plot

During a raid in the Middle East in 1997, a probationary secret agent sacrifices himself to save his team. Feeling guilt over the loss of his colleague, Harry Hart, code-named "Galahad", delivers a bravery medal to the agent's widow, Michelle Unwin, and her young son, Gary "Eggsy", saying that if they ever need help, they should call the phone number on the back of the medal and deliver a coded message.

Seventeen years later Professor James Arnold is kidnapped by unknown assailants, led by Internet billionaire Richmond Valentine. One of Hart's fellow agents, "Lancelot", attempts to stage a rescue, but is killed by Gazelle, Valentine's henchwoman. Valentine, known for his philanthropy, continues to meet with various heads of state and VIPs, some of whom go missing afterwards. He also announces a giveaway of SIM Smart cards, granting a lifetime of free cellular and Internet access to anyone who wants it.

In London, Eggsy is now an unemployed young adult living with his mother, infant half-sister, and abusive stepfather, Dean. Despite being intelligent and capable, he left training for the Royal Marines and lives the aimless life of a stereotypical chav. After being arrested for stealing a car, Eggsy calls the number on the back of the medal. Hart arranges for his release and tells Eggsy about his father - both of them were agents of Kingsman; an "independent international intelligence agency" founded in 1919 by a group of British royals who lost their heirs in World War One.

In the wake of Lancelot's death, the agency opens a vacancy for a new agent, and Eggsy agrees to apply as Hart's candidate. He joins a group of other candidates including a woman named Roxy, whom he befriends. Training is overseen by "Merlin", a senior Kingsman who acts as teacher, quartermaster, pilot and Ops co-ordinator. The candidates are eliminated one by one until only Eggsy and Roxy remain. Eggsy fails his final test - he is unable to shoot a dog he had raised from a puppy, though the gun was secretly loaded with blanks - and Roxy becomes the new Lancelot.

During this time, Kingsman has been investigating Valentine in connection with the VIP disappearances and notes that Arnold is no longer missing. Hart tracks down Arnold and confronts him about his abduction. A chip implanted in Arnold's head explodes, killing him; Hart is injured during his escape from unknown assailants. Undeterred, Hart poses as a billionaire and dines with Valentine to try to discern his plans.

Hart tracks Valentine to an obscure hate group church in Kentucky, where Valentine and Gazelle are conducting a test. They broadcast a signal, which triggers Valentine's SIM cards to broadcast a tone that causes everyone in the church, including Hart, to become uncontrollably violent. A mass brawl breaks out, with Hart the sole survivor, while Eggsy, Merlin and "Arthur" — Kingsman's leader — watch via video link. Valentine approaches Hart and kills him after revealing his plan.

Eggsy returns to the Kingsman headquarters, where he discovers that Arthur is one of Valentine’s converts. Arthur explains Valentine's views: humanity is akin to a virus, and global warming is the Earth's equivalent of a fever. Valentine intends to kill the virus before it kills the host, broadcasting his signal worldwide to cause a massive culling of the human race. Only a select few that Valentine has deemed worthy of living — those who have sided with him and thus received the protective microchips in their heads, and the VIPs he kidnapped — will be spared. Following their discussion, Arthur attempts to kill Eggsy but is in turn tricked and killed by him. With little time remaining, Merlin, Lancelot and Eggsy hurry to stop Valentine. Lancelot pilots a high-altitude balloon vehicle into the stratosphere to disrupt Valentine's satellite network with a missile, while Eggsy and Merlin directly assault Valentine’s mountain bunker. Lancelot knocks out the satellite, but Valentine arranges with a business contact to replace the destroyed satellite before activating the signal, causing global pandemonium.

Meanwhile, Merlin hacks into Valentine's security system and activates a security protocol in Valentine's chip implants, explosively killing everyone except Valentine and Gazelle. Eggsy fights Gazelle and kills her with a poison-tipped blade concealed in his shoe. Eggsy then hurls one of Gazelle's prosthetic legs at Valentine, spearing him through the chest and ending the worldwide carnage.

In the aftermath, Eggsy is accepted as a Kingsman agent. He reaches out to his mother, offering her and his half-sister a new home and a chance to get away from Dean. Dean and his subordinates move to attack, but Eggsy waylays Dean in exactly the same manner that Galahad had waylaid one of his henchmen earlier.

## Cast

* Taron Egerton as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a poor Londoner who is chosen by Galahad as his Kingsman candidate. Alex Nikolov portrays a young Eggsy.
* Colin Firth as Harry Hart / Galahad, a veteran Kingsman agent who takes Eggsy under his wing.
* Samuel L. Jackson as Richmond Valentine, a billionaire philanthropist who speaks with a lisp and has a weak stomach for blood and violence.
* Mark Strong as Merlin, a senior Kingsman agent and trainer.
* Michael Caine as Chester King / Arthur, the leader of the Kingsman organisation.
* Sophie Cookson as Roxanne "Roxy" Morton, a trainee who befriends Eggsy.
* Sofia Boutella as Gazelle, Valentine's amputee henchwoman with bladed prosthetic legs.
* Samantha Womack as Michelle Unwin, Eggsy's mother.
* Geoff Bell as Dean, Eggsy's stepfather and Michelle's abusive second husband.
* Edward Holcroft as Charlie Hesketh, Arthur's Kingsman candidate and Eggsy's primary rival during the training programme.
* Mark Hamill as James Arnold, an academic professor from Imperial College London and an expert in climate change.
* Jack Davenport as Lancelot, a Kingsman agent who obtained his title in the mission that took the life of Eggsy's father.
* Tom Prior as Hugo, a Kingsman candidate.
* Jack Cutmore-Scott as Rufus Saville, a Kingsman candidate.
* Lily Travers as Lady Sophie.
* Richard Brake as The Interrogator, a man working for Lady Sophie.
* Hanna Alström as Princess Tilde.
* Andrei Lenart as Arctic Guard.

Jonno Davies portrays Lee Unwin, Eggsy's father and a former Kingsman candidate who sacrificed himself to save Hart. Hanna Alström portrays Princess Tilde, and Bjørn Floberg plays the Swedish Prime Minister. Nicholas Banks, Nicholas Agnew, Rowan Polonski and Tom Prior portray, respectively, Digby Barker, Nathaniel, Piers and Hugo Higins, the other four Kingsman candidates. Fiona Hampton plays Amelia, a Kingsman agent who pretends to be a candidate in order to set up the first test.