In Kingsman, a pug is named J.B, as in not James Bond or Jason Bourne, but the initials stand for Jack Bauer (the lead character from television series 24). The film is Matthew Vaughn's royal homage to the secret agent genre in Kick-Ass meets James Bond on drugs style of action. It finds the right balance between absurdity and hilarity and succeeds in producing, in literal meta fashion, not just an ordinary spy tale.
In one of his interviews, Vaughn described the film as a modern-day love letter to all the spy films he grew up on. In fact, it visually quotes from the spy movies that came before it and plays with audience's memories and nostalgia. Kingsman is all that a Bond or Bourne film can't be. There's certain amount of seriousness you associate with most secret agent films which you won't find here. It isn't too funny like the Austin Powers franchise either. But there are some genuinely funny moments till the end credits.
All the tropes of a classic spy film have been dealt with some mischief in Kingsman. Beyond the improbable gadgets, far-fetched plot, a crazy villain's plan for world domination and bloody elaborate fight scenes, there's something instantly likable about the film. Samuel Jackson for instance plays a villain with a pronunciation lisp, dresses up like a hip-hop star and can't fathom violence in front of his eyes. He's cerebral. He leaves all the physical intimidation and killing to his henchwoman, with deadly blades as legs. He actually wants to save the world from itself and also wants to take out a good deal of the population in the process. Another likable aspect is that the relationship between the hero and the lead female character is mostly platonic for a change. And there's extremely funny reference to My Fair Lady.
What's really cool about Kingsman is the action! It's mostly tacky and gory to the finest detail but it somehow goes with the mood of the film. Had it been your regular spy film featuring Daniel Craig, you may have had problems digesting what you see on screen. But who gives a damn about Colin Firth playing Harry Hart, a secret agent of a covert international group that acts outside of any government control. But what works in favour of Kingsman is the casting of popular actors in roles against their type. An action scene in a church featuring Firth will leave you giggling and squirming at the same time in your seat. Caine is surprisingly given a shade of grey which he portrays fittingly.
The film acknowledges all of those stupid spy clichés and then it ditches them all. The best example of this I can give is in the opening sequence of the film -there is a glass of whisky, a lot of people die and there isn't a drop of the whiskey spilt. The film successfully reinvents just about every stereotype imaginable in a spy film.
Kingsman: The Secret Service is weirdly entertaining without being disrespectful to the genre. You may love it for all the weird reasons.
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Tagged as Colin Firth, Kingsman, Kingsman The Secret Service, Mark Strong, Matthew Vaughn, Michael Caine, movie review, review, Review of Kingsman, Samuel L. Jackson, Spy film Kingsman, Taron Egerton