{"id":3453,"date":"2015-01-31T11:10:22","date_gmt":"2015-01-31T11:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=3453"},"modified":"2015-01-31T11:17:21","modified_gmt":"2015-01-31T11:17:21","slug":"kingsman-the-secret-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/kingsman-the-secret-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Kingsman: The Secret Service ****"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kingsman-the-secret-service\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ever wondered what injecting a Bond film with a bit of comic-book madness would be like? Kick-Ass<\/em> writer director Matthew Vaughn \u2013 who teams up with co-writer Jane Goldman again \u2013 has the answer: Kingsman: The Secret Service<\/em>. It\u2019s part-spy, part comic-book caper that doesn\u2019t take itself seriously.<\/p>\n

Testament of Youth<\/em><\/a> star Taron Egerton plays Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin, a lippy kid from a London sink estate who is recruited into a secret spy agency comprised of upper class \u2018tailors\u2019 from Savile Row. Little does Eggsy know that his late father was also part of the same elite force, having lost his life to save debonair agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) in a botched Middle East operation.<\/p>\n

Hart left little Eggsy a calling card that he now uses when his mum\u2019s violent partner\u2019s thugs come a-knocking, and is surprised by the special killer moves from a nibble Hart in action. This then begins Eggsy\u2019s Kingsman recruitment and training \u2013 much to the disapproval of the agency\u2019s leader Arthur (Michael Caine). Meanwhile, scheming phone billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L Jackson) plans to take over peoples\u2019 handsets and the world and \u2018cleanse\u2019 it. Eggsy first mission becomes a vital one to save the planet.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine anyone else playing Hart, a part so fitting for Firth, in both temperament and physique that you can tell the actor is having an immense amount of fun portraying him. It\u2019s a close as we get to seeing Firth as Bond too \u2013 and Firth the marital arts expert. His immaculate manners and Egerton as Eggsy\u2019s lack of compliment brilliantly and make for great rifts as the youngster learns not just the spy business ropes but etiquette. You do long for even more jokes along the George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion line. It is also a big, sharp poke at the ingrained English class structure, something Vaughn relishes in.<\/p>\n

If Testament of Youth<\/em> wasn\u2019t a great start to a fledging career for recently graduated drama school alumni Egerton, Kingsman<\/em> propels him into the big time and puts him on pop culture\u2019s radar. The young actor really carries the part well, not only bringing well-timed humour when needed, but also proving he\u2019s a contender for any future action roles. Maybe a young Bond in the making?<\/p>\n

Caine gives an intriguing turn as the agency boss \u2013 equipped with a great twist towards the end. Mark Strong is the agency\u2019s Q-styled character who unlike the Bond character, actually gets to see some action. Jackson is hilarious as the lisping megalomaniac with an aversion to blood \u2013\u00a0watch out for the dinner scene with Hart too, and its Bond references. It’s a credit to the writers.<\/p>\n

As for the action, it\u2019s back to pre-(awful) Kick-Ass 2<\/em> standards. It\u2019s a thrilling ride, from the pub brawl between Hart and thugs, to the evangelical church ding-dong between the British gentleman agent and some super prejudice worshippers that will literally have your jaw hitting the ground at the choreography, blood thirst and speed. For those wanting tropes of Bond action, it pays homage to that too.<\/p>\n

Kingsman: The Secret Agent<\/em> takes the spy genre down a comic-book route (not for those faint of heart though), opening it up to a wider audience but not forgetting to both gently mock and honour British spy pedigree. It\u2019s an espionage blast \u2013 simplistic plot aside \u2013\u00a0that puts characterisation and beautifully choreographed action first to offer cinematic value for money.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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