http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802144/
So at the weekend I got round to watching the 2014 Matthew Vaughn film Kingsman: The Secret Service.
I had heard good things, and I do like Vaughn's' films, but does hype always carry through? Well in this case it's a big YES.
It is a strong story in the vein of classic Bond-esque spy thriller, however it knows just what it is doing and references it's history. As they say "this is not one of those films".
I don't want to spoil the story, I liked going into it knowing it had a good reputation, but not knowing what it was really about, and if you are reading this then and don't know much try to keep it that way. It made the film better. Hype serves a purpose in this digital age, but actually it can give away too much in trying to get you interested.
I will say it has a very strong cast, with some fantastic performances from Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Jack Davenport. Mark Hamill is in it, and my wife would not believe it was him! However the stand out for me was the new lead man Taron Egerton. He was perfect for this and I want to see more. I could watch this film again and again, and see new parts every time.
It is a far fetched (based on a comic book) story that has you gripped and engaged and laughing and crying for each character as the film plays out a classic spy film with just a touch more violence. I guess it is Kick-Ass meets James Bond, which is unsurprising as Vaughn did Kick-Ass and handled that comic transition really well.
The action sequences are like watching a violent ballet, beautifully shot, slick, fluid and enthralling. They are handled with precision and while they don't feel like a real fight such as maybe Paul Greengrass might do, they feel like a perfect over the top spy action adventure that keeps the audience wanting to stay on the roller coaster. The nice thing though is some films like this feel like they are just leading you from one action sequence to the next with "acting" being an aside to the next fight. This is not the case for Kingsman. It has a story that is fun, silly but with heart that has you feeling for each character, almost at times empathising with Samuel L. Jacksons brilliant bad guy.
In conclusion, this film is worth a watch. It is funny, it has heart and is just right for every spy film fan out there.
