The following is an updated spoiler-filled review of Kingsman: The Secret Service – Directed by Matthew Vaughn
If you’re like me, then you like the Daniel Craig Bond-films. But, then, if you are like me, you probably think that some of them take themselves too seriously. In what is a nice break from serious spy flicks, Kingsman takes over and successfully manages to captivate its audience. If you want to know what the love-child of The Spy Who Loved Me and Kick-Ass is, then watch this film and find out.
Warning – expect spoilers for the film in the following part of the review
Colin Firth stars as Harry ‘Galahad’ Hart – a secret agent from the organisation known as ‘Kingsman’ – who made a mistake during a mission in the Middle East and got his partner killed. The life of that partner’s son, Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (played by Taron Egerton), has gotten off the rails, when we first meet him.
Eggsy is quickly recruited by Galahad to be in the running for a place as a Kingsman-agent — to potentially replace the agent formerly known as Lancelot. Though eventually unsuccessful in becoming Lancelot, Eggsy is soon thrown into an agent role, when Richmond Valentine (played by Samuel L. Jackson), an internet billionaire, plans to cull the human race.
Colin Firth is spot-on as Galahad. Galahad is the perfect gentleman, unless you show him that you have no manners. I really like Colin Firth. To see him in an action role was a lot of fun, and it works so much better than it has any right to. Speaking of fun – Taron Egerton absolutely blew me away. He is charming, funny, and totally believable as the young thug-gone-good.
I am extremely happy that they didn’t force romance down our throats. Instead, a certain female agent was developed as more than just a love interest, and the ‘love scene’ is saved for the very end — a scene in which Eggsy meets a Swedish Princess. Now, that scene has not been received well. It has been called unnecessary, misogynist, and so on and so forth.
Now, I, personally, really enjoyed the scene as I thought it fit perfectly into this wacky spy satire feel that the film has about it, but it does underline the fact that this is definitely not a family movie. Instead, it could end up offending you, but I, personally, ate it all up.
As for the villains? Well, as you would expect, Samuel L. Jackson is really entertaining in this movie and he clearly had a lot of fun being a part of it. I loved Galahad and Valentine’s tête-a-tête about Spy-flicks, and Valentine’s Jaws-like side-kick called Gazelle (played by Sofia Boutella) is really fun to watch. However, I felt that they underused Michael Caine’s character.
I think the filmmakers have done a great job with this film. A person sitting next to me thought the film had pacing-issues, but I, on the other hand, had no such problem. I desperately want a sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, and I really want Matthew Vaughn to stick to a franchise for once.
8.6 out of 10
– Jeffrey Rex
I'm Jeffrey Rex 