KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Matthew Vaughn is probably best known for directing films such as Stardust, Kick-Ass, and X-Men: First Class. With Kingsman: The Secret Service, he returns to the comedy genre and has provided viewers with over two hours of solid entertainment with an action-packed narrative at the centre.

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), whose late father secretly worked for a spy organization, lives in a South London housing estate and seems headed for a life behind bars. However, dapper agent Harry "Galahad" Hart (Colin Firth) recognizes potential in the youth and recruits him to be a trainee in the secret service. Meanwhile, villainous Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) launches a diabolical plan to solve the problem of climate change via a worldwide killing spree.

Like Kick-Ass, Kingsman is also based on a comic book series titled The Secret Service. While it's not an 100% accurate adaptation of the comic books, Vaugh has created it with his own vision and style which works. He doesn't try too hard to gets laugh and succeeds in crafting a entertaining film that blends action and comedy together really well. Most of the humour comes from Firth's surprisingly funny performance as Galahad. According to Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director Bradley James Allan, Firth did about 80% of his own stunts, which is really impressive and adds to the entertainment of the film. This is probably one of Firth's best roles since he won an Academy Award for portraying King George VI in The King's Speech. 

As the main antagonist, Jackson clearly has fun as Valentine and his lisp adds to the humour. Both Firth and Jackson don't take their roles too seriously and makes their performances all the more enjoyable. What's most funny about Valentine is that, despite his plan of violence and destruction, he is very squeamish. Even when he shoots someone, he looks away in disgust. 

Despite both Firth and Jackson giving solid performances, it's Egerton who gives the stand-out performance as Eggsy in his debut feature film. In the beginning, we perceive Eggsy as an immature teenager, however, we learn that he has a difficult background, due to his father, who is a member of the Kingsmen, passing away during a mission when Eggsy was just a child. This leads to us feeling sympathetic towards him and it gives him more background. After meeting Galahad, he begins training to become a Kingsman and becomes involved in various tasks. It's during these tasks that Eggsy starts developing into a true hero. 

When Vaughn was directing Kick-Ass, he certainly didn't hold back on the violence and the same can be said about Kingsman. Because it has a 15 rating (Rated R in the US), the violence is pretty high, especially during one memorable sequence halfway through the film, where a group of characters in a church go on a mad killing spree. This sequence is incredibly fast-paced and it isn't until it finishes that we catch our breath. A similar sequence occurs near the beginning of the film where Galahad attacks a group of men in a bar, much to Eggy's amazement. The fast-paced action is where Kingsman succeeds the most.

The first half of the film revolves around Galahad teaching Eggsy and finding out more about Valentine's plan. However, midway through the film, Eggsy must use his new-found skills to go to Valentine's lair and stop him before the human race all kill each other. This leads to Eggsy fighting against Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) who is Valentine's assisstant and has sharp blades where her feet should be. The climax is really tense as we see a violent massacre happening across the world. 

The similaries to the James Bond films are pretty obvious, from the spies and gadgets to the villain. Even Eggsy develops into a Bond-like character towards the end of the film. 

Looking back on the films that were released in 2014, I would have to say that Kingsman: The Secret Service was definitely one of the most entertaining and original. It's action-packed and full of humour and showcases Egerton's impressive performance in his debut feature film.

After Kingsman's release in 2014, it went on to make over $414 million at the box office and, because it was successful with both critics and audiences, a sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is due to be released towards the end of 2017. 

Overall, because it's stylish, subversive, and above all fun, Kingsman: The Secret Service finds director Matthew Vaughn sending up the spy genre with gleeful abandon.

7/10