By Will Sevy
Online Arts Editor
With a hint of James Bond, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” contains serious action in a more fun, comical way, making it director Matthew Vaughn’s best film yet.
Adopted from Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar’s comic, “The Secret Service,” the film combines a talented cast with an intriguing plot, making for a thrilling action film complemented by well-timed humor and witty dialogue.
Directed by Vaughn, who is known for films such as “X-Men: First Class” and “Kick-Ass,” the film follows Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), a troubled kid whose late father secretly worked for a spy agency. Secret Agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recruits Eggsy and trains him to be a member of this agency, known as Kingsman, which is designed to protect the world from evil.
After Eggsy joins the agency, he and Kingsman must protect the world from evil genius Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), who will stop at nothing to execute his plan of killing millions of people to solve the world’s global climate crisis.
The film’s violence-filled action scenes are immediately engaging. Every fight scene is equally thrilling, and there is a perfect balance of violence, making it fun instead of disturbingly intense. In the first 10 minutes of the film, there are numerous deaths, but it is done in a playful and humorous way, keeping the atmosphere light throughout the film.
Much to the audience’s surprise, Firth moves away from his usual role of a quiet man in romantic films and perfectly plays the role of Hart. Similar to James Bond, he easily takes out his enemies and displays his wide range of skills. Firth’s confidence and stoicism make Hart a masterful spy, but he still makes Hart seem like a compassionate mentor to Eggsy with a stern but gentle manner.
Egerton has a well-balanced role in the film as Eggsy. He makes the character seem like a tough street kid but manages to reveal his softer side. He has a range of emotions from reserved and cold to friendly and charming, and his character’s spectacular skills and clever remarks make Eggsy a charming character.
In addition, the film contains humorous dialogue, and many clever messages are evenly spread throughout the film, such as numerous snide nods to James Bond being hidden throughout the film.
The film’s plot is simple, making it easy to follow, but it contains many surprising twists and turns. The Kingsman must defeat Valentine and his evil plot and do so in style with their over-the-top action hero prowess and funny remarks.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is an interesting spy film with a fun twist, and Vaughn’s ridiculous premise makes the action in the film comical but still intense.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is rated R and playing in theaters nationwide.
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