On the surface, Kingsman sounds like a standard-issue spy film. It focuses on a group of suave British spies who work in completely secrecy to stop terrorist threats all around the world. No matter how conventional that premise may sound, Kingsman couldn't be further from the average espionage film.
Much like he did with the superhero genre with 2010's Kick-Ass,Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman mock the conventions of the spy genre by making a film that is tongue-in-cheek and wild as all hell. There's a bunch of references mocking the seriousness of James Bond and Jason Bourne, the violence is cartoon-esque, and the plot involves the titular spy group trying to taking down a psychotic technology mogul (Samuel L. Jackson) who has decided to try and solve the planet's population crisis by installing a brain-controlling device into the SIM card his company produces that forces people to kill one another. The film embraces just how absurd its premise is, and that self-awareness is a big part of the reason why the proceedings of Kingsman are so damn fun.
A large part of why Vaughn's gleefully over-the-top shtick always works is his ability to consistently assemble casts that are game for whatever shenanigans he throws at them, and Kingsman is no exception. Newcomer Taron Edgerton shines in his first leading role as Eggsy, the wisecracking punk who's the newest recruit of Kingsman. Edgerton has a screen presence that most up-and-coming actors would kill for, and is convincing as both an action hero and the quick-witted, hardened street kid. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if his work here marked the jumping off point for a long, successful acting career.
Veteran actors Jackson and Colin Firth only further inject the film with demented energy. Jackson's villain, Valentine, is the perfect embodiment of the craziness Kingsman offers up. With help from a heavy lisp and a wardrobe that looked like it was robbed from Russell Simmons' closest, Jackson makes Valentine the most colorful and manic megalomaniac to grace the screen in years. With his long history of playing zany characters, Jackson's proficiency here is hardly surprising.
Firth's success, on the other hand, is completely unexpected. Based on his resume full of high-brow fare like The King's Speech and A Single Man, he seems like the last guy who should be starring in a film like this. But Firth's reputation as the quintessential British gentleman actually makes him the perfect fit for the role. His character, Harry Hart, is still the dapper, sophisticated British gentleman he typically plays, he just happens to also be a lethal super spy that can clear out a room of henchman in a matter of seconds. Firth is clearly having a good time breaking out of his typical archetype, and after seeing him do some of the insane stuff he does in this movie, I'll never view him in the same way again.
Even though Kingsman possesses a treasure trove of strengths, the action sequences are still the undeniable main attraction. Vaughn is one of the small number of directors in the game right now that just knows how to shoot and pace an action scene. Vaughn's prowess is best evidenced in a scene where Hart takes on a church full of weapon-wielding bigots. The scene is unadulterated chaos, but Vaughn is able to capture all of the carnage without dizzying quick cuts that leave the viewer in a state of confusion as to what's going on. This sequence is pure action movie poetry and is bound to leave any true action connoisseur speechless. The sometimes convoluted writing and overlong training scenes in the first half of the film prevents this from reaching Kick-Ass's badassery level, but there's no denying that Kingsman is an absolute blast to watch, and a strong early entry into the best action film of 2015 race.
4/5 Stars
