Kingsman: The Secret Service

Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Sofia Boutella, Sophie Cookson, Jonno Davies, Jack Davenport, Mark Hamill, Geoff Bell
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A troubled youth (Taron Egerton) is given a second chance when he's asked to join an ultra secret spy agency by a deadly spy (Colin Firth).

Review:

Tim: I heard surprisingly good things about Kingsman: The Secret Service, so I was looking forward to this slick, modern spy movie. After watching it, it is indeed a unique, unexpected take on the spy flick. While there was a lot to like about it, it wasn't quite as good as many people made it out to be. It's a good movie, but a bit overrated.

One of the best parts of the film is that it does occasionally offer up some unexpected moments. There's one in particular that you never really see coming. Now, while there's some great moments, but in addition to those completely surprising ones, the rest of the movie is fairly predictable. It's very odd that a movie can be predictable and surprising at the same time. Most of the film unrolls exactly as you would expect, save for a few nice surprises.

The cast is mostly good, although again, maybe a bit overrated. Colin Firth was brilliantly cast and I love how they made this mostly mild-mannered, intelligent, classy actor into this brutally deadly assassin. That might be the highlight of the film- watching Firth play against type as this violent (but well mannered) spy. Firth is just excellent in this film. I thought Taron Egerton certainly had his moments as the main protagonist. He does have some talent, but I still felt like he wasn't nearly charismatic enough to carry the film. While I enjoyed his performance in the moment, it was a bit forgettable. Samuel L. Jackson felt absolutely terrible to me. There's nothing wrong with making your villain have a lisp and I understand they worked hard to subvert expectations, but I just never bought his performance. He never seemed like a worthwhile adversary- he just came across as ridiculous and absurd. Jackson's performance was Razzie-worthy and an aspect of the film I hated. Michael Caine and Mark Strong both added in solid supporting performances. While there were a few weak aspects, as a whole, the cast is very good.

I will give Matthew Vaughn great credit for directing some amazing action sequences. While the ultra violent scene with Firth in the church has to be the highlight (I could watch that a hundred times), there's a number of intense, memorable action scenes throughout the movie. The action is great and the movie also delivers a number of thrilling sequences as well- the skydiving scene is absolutely a highlight. You really have to give the movie credit in the action department, because it undoubtedly delivers.

Now, this movie was billed as a comedy and I like that, but some of the comedic elements fail to create laughs and instead make the story just feel silly. Vaughn never perfectly balances these two- this isn't quite comedy enough to be considered a spoof, but some of the scenes almost border on being a spoof- it felt weird- should I take this seriously, or is this supposed to be funny? This unevenness made the movie a bit confusing as to its true intent.

So, in the end, I likely didn't quite enjoy Kingsman: The Secret Service as much as many critics and moviegoers did. To be fair, I did enjoy the movie- I'd consider this a solid, entertaining film. Unfortunately, there were a few too many flaws throughout the film. This was good, but it could have been a lot better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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