Colin Firth isn’t exactly the type of guy you would imagine as a highly capable master spy, but after watching Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service it’s quite hard to get the image of him in badass mode out of your head. Firth (code name Galahad) portrays a dapper, and quite ridiculous, super spy in this comic-book-based adaptation, a key asset for a super secret agency which lives under a men’s outfitter store called “Kingsman”.
The film takes the caricature of a dapper spy, ala James Bond, and fills it with such ridiculous notions until it starts to work, blending it with glossy hyper-violence which becomes increasingly sickening towards the end for a complete whirlwind assault of satire. The adaptation is energetic and works better if viewed as an action film rather than a comedy, seeing as any clever attempts at humour are quickly overshadowed with cheap gags.
Firth’s Galahad’s life is saved by another agent in a rushed and dull prologue, prefacing the events which lead to Galahad seeking out that agent’s nephew and recruiting him into the agency so he can mentor him. That nephew just happens to be loud-mouthed Gary (nicknamed Eggsy for some reason) played by Welsh up and comer Taron Egerton who is initially quite annoying until the film peels him back and reveals an endearing personality behind the young man.
At the same time, the film’s villain is slowly revealing his ridiculous plan to cull society. The baddie, Valentine, is portrayed by Samuel L Jackson who stumbles to put on a stutter and, of course, curses a lot. The introduction of this very obnoxious, very awkward villain drags the film down greatly even when Firth predicts this by getting all meta and implying that a spy film is only as a good as it’s villain. This villain isn’t that good.
While the over-the-top Valentine and his creepy, sword-legged companion, take the film a bit beyond silly, the second half picks up dramatically as there’s genuinely funny – and fun – bouts of super stylish violence. Twists that are a bit unexpected shake Kingsman off a dusty and dark path and shift it towards something entirely worth watching. And Vaughn handles it all with a quirky sense of showmanship that is geared towards giving a few scenes that memorable quality to them, something unique that will be talked about far after the movie has left cinemas. He succeeds twice in this, the second of which employs the really fun technique of animated violence and synced-up music.
Though the film is flimsy in it’s build up, the release of all the crew’s ludicrous ideas towards the end is thoroughly entertaining, and worth the patience. While Firth and Egerton are the only cast members to handle their material well, there’s a great sense of energy that covers up blemishes – like L Jackson’s excessive character – and arrive at something much better than most modern spy attempts.
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Running Time: 127 minutes
Kingsman: The Secret Service is in cinemas now
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