Searching for a recruit in the unlikeliest of places, Colin Firth’s Harry Hart distances himself from the elitist traditions of his secret organization and sees something of a protégé in Taron Egerton’s Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, taking this diamond in the rough under his wing and teaching him manners and the gentlemanly art of saving the world.
Matthew Vaughn’s third comic book adaptation after Kick-Ass (Also written by Mark Millar) and X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service sees Vaughn team up with once again with the acute witticisms and a concise script from Jane Goldman. Firth and Egerton make for a striking duo, both upping the ante in both the comedic and action stakes, assisting in the delivery of old-school James Bond tropes with a Kick-Ass twist. Watching Colin Firth kick, flip, punch and shoot his way through the bad guys is strangely exhilarating. This is Mr. Darcy, as you’ve never seen him but once witnessed, you’ll want to see more of this stiff-upper-lipped bad-assery!
Providing adequate 21st Century villainy is the colorfully tech-savvy Richmond Valentine played by the charismatic Samuel L. Jackson (seemingly sponsored by Adidas). Even Harry Palmer himself turns up as the head of the Kingsman organization although Sir Michael Caine seems to have brought his silver spoon along for the gig instead of his usual cockney twang. Mark Strong’s Merlin has Q-like aspirations and occasionally falters with the Scottish accent, while Mark Hamill is almost unrecognizable as a kidnapped professor in early scenes.
Kingsman also manages (for the most part) something that only recent Bond movies have started to get right. Whether it’s the blade-footed henchwoman Gazelle, played with intense physicality by Sofia Boutella or Sophie Cookson’s newly recruited Kinsgman Roxy, the women are portrayed as every bit the equal of Eggsy in strength, intelligence and wit. This is only slightly tarnished with some oddly placed off-colour humour toward the conclusion but that aside, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a fast paced spectacle filled with bombastic silliness and a great deal of stylish fun.
Kingsman: The Secret Service is released in the UK on 29th January.
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