The King's Man

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Daniel Bruhl, Tom Hollander, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stanley Tucci
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Kingsman Agency is formed in secret to thwart a global plot that would kill millions.

Review:

Tim: It's interesting to me that Matthew Vaughn has spent so much time building out this Kingsman world. I thought the first two films were good- solid action adventure movies. They might not have been remarkable, but they were entertaining fare. I wasn't entirely sold on a prequel origin story of the Kingsman service, but I was happy enough to give it a chance.

With this third film in the franchise, Vaughn continues his consistent streak. I'd consider this movie as good as the first and second films. It might be the least effective, but so minimally that I'd rate all three movies exactly the same. Like the first two movies, this is an entertaining film that never truly stands out, but it does its job effectively. Vaughn might not quite have elevated these movies to special territory, but he deserves credit for how consistently good these movies are.

The cast here makes a big difference. Ralph Fiennes feels like the absolute perfect actor for this role. He's cut very much from the same cloth as Colin Firth, although Fiennes is less surprising as an action star. Fiennes brings his immense talent to the role and he elevates the material. He's quite strong in the lead and perfectly embodies what we expect from this franchise. Gemma Arterton was a nice addition, too. I wish she had a bit more to do, but she does well with what she has. She was enjoyable in the role. Djimon Hounsou is always great in supporting roles and I really liked his performance here. Rhys Ifans doesn't have a lot of screen time, but he is an absolute scene stealer as Rasputin. This character (and Ifans' performance) is one of the unexpected delights in this film. You can't credit him enough for the positive impact he makes on the overall film. Harris Dickinson was quite impressive, too. He very much feels like the Taron Egerton replacement and he does solid work. I thought he was used quite effectively and I really enjoyed his storyline in the movie. Charles Dance adds his usual excellent supporting role. It was fun seeing Aaron Taylor-Johnson in his role and I sincerely hope we get to see more of him in a future film. Tom Hollander did excellent work in multiple roles, and I always enjoy seeing Daniel Bruhl. As we've come to expect from these movies, the cast is excellent.

The story itself was fairly compelling. It does require a great deal of suspended disbelief, but I loved how Vaughn weaved the story into actual historical events. It was truly impressive to see how they connected this story to real events- oftentimes in truly brilliant ways. That was one of the biggest highlights of the film. So, not only do we get an action-focused piece of entertainment, we get one that feels very connected to the events surrounding World War I. That also felt like a big differentiator here. While I wasn't sure about the need for a prequel, it was refreshing to see the Kingsman service operating in this time period. It absolutely fleshes out this world more significantly. The story is a bit much at times, but it was effective.

The action and style feels very aligned with what we've come to expect from the film. The broad strokes of the movie are somewhat predictable, but there were some excellent story swerves that I did not see coming. This is starting to become a hallmark of the franchise and I appreciate it. While I wish the general plots felt a little more uncertain, we're certainly ready to expect the unexpected. I like that Vaughn is comfortable playing with the emotions and the expectations of the audience. It certainly helps keep you engaged as you watch the story unfold.

As a whole, I certainly enjoyed The King's Man. Like the first two films, though, it felt like a "once is enough" movie. It was fun, entertaining, had some solid action, but ultimately, not great enough to require repeat viewings. That's not a bad thing, though. It's fun to see this consistent franchise continue and this movie is good enough that I hope we get many more of these films.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle