Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Kingsman is a odd movie to me. The previews turned me off of it quite a bit, and frankly I had no real interest in seeing it. However the buzz around it was surprisingly very positive. Much like John Wick, another film I passed on, it started to become this film that I had to see. If for no other reason then to see if I was correct in my initial thoughts or not. I can honestly say after seeing it, the preview is a good representation of the final product. However, I was to harsh on it at first, the things that I didn't like in the preview grew on me as the movie went on. It was a little cheesy, and the action was over the top. The main character looked very out of place, but that was part of his role. Samuel L. Jackson looked stupid and was annoying, but he was the villain so it helped make me dislike him. It was a movie that didn't take itself to serious, and even poked fun at that fact. And in the end, one that I truly enjoyed, far more then I thought I would.

The Kingsman were tailors for very influential people during a period of war. A lot of their kids went off to war and never returned. This left a company of rich tailors with no heirs, and a desire to fix the world so other families did not have to go through the same hardships. They formed a secret society and became gentleman spies of sorts. The movie starts off in modern times and is about Samuel L Jackson's character trying to fix the world. I won't spoil that for you, but he is collecting influential people and trying to win them over. In these attempts he kills a Kingsman without knowing who they are, and this opens up a spot for a new member to join. The movie follows Taron Egerton's character "Eggsy" as he tries to become the next Kingsman. As well as dealing with Jackson's plan and his desire to save the planet.

This is a action movie plain and simple. It does have a good plot, and the story works much better then my poor description may lead you to believe. There are a lot of English accents, which may or may not be a issue for you. If you watched attack the block and had no issues understanding what was being said, you will be fine. If the quicker speaking moments just left you staring blankly at the screen....well maybe turn the subs on. There were only a few times I had no clue what was being said, but that could simply be my lack of exposure to people who speak in that fashion. Jackson also gets a pretty neat accent, and I now choose to believe that is his normal way of talking.

If you research this movie online, one thing is constantly brought up. There is a church scene that was edited out in some countries, and simply edited down in others. It is a shame some didn't get to see the entire scene play out. It was easily the most memorable part of the film, and it also really showcases what the film is all about. Over the top and stylish violence, simply for the sake of entertainment. When we see fighting in this movie, we get some crazy camera angles. We see a first person view from the kingsman spy glasses, a view of the top of the gun similar to a video game. Cameras attached to the actors bodies as they fight. They really went over the top with these sequences and they made the movie that much better. Bodies would fly unrealistically when hit, and there was flipping and bullet dodging.....it would have easily been to much in most movies. However the set the tone of this one very quickly, and the action fit right in. I heard a lot about how brutal and gory this movie was, but after seeing it I felt let down. Not to say I enjoy that in my films, but it was non existent in this one. Yeah you see some blood, but not much and it is only briefly shown.

I really enjoyed the story, and how it was presented. All the characters were fun, and there were some cool inclusions such as Sofia Boutella as Gazelle the amputee ninja. Apparently she does have legs in real life, that shouldn't be disappointing to find out, but it is. I also enjoyed Obama being in the movie, even if they never showed a good shot of him. If you are a republican, you will get more out of his role then the democrats. I may have jokingly told my wife that her father would love this movie after Obama's scene. The movie also did a great job of developing all the different roles, and by the end I can't think of anybody who really didn't get that treatment. Little things like showing 30 seconds here and there of Eggsy and his sister for example. It makes a scene later on mean more as you know about their relationship and how much he cares for her.

I am trying to think of a negative about this movie. I really can't, it was action perfection. It didn't take itself to serious, it even mentions that in the movie. They had catchy diolgue, and some of the best fights I have seen in a while. It reminded me a lot of the movie Wanted, which I loved. But unlike that movie, this one had much better pacing and was far superior in the long run. It also didn't have any magic string that told them who to kill, so that was a plus. And we got a amazing Firework display at the end that you simply have to see. There is a cool moment where two characters are talking about their childhood and how they loved the old Bond spy films. One wanted to be Bone, and the other wanted to be the villain. The movie really is about that, the love of the old spy films. It has the fanfare you would expect from something like that, the absurdity that was associated with them. The over the top villian with the swanky layer in the side of a mountain. And some how it is able to pull it all off.

The Kingsman is not only one of the best action films I have seen recently, it is one of the best I have ever seen. It mixes a classic spy tale with Colin Firth's character Galahad, and a more modern tale with Eggsy. If you love violent visual films, go watch it.