Kingsman: The Secret Service 2014 (Movie Review)

Dir: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Taron Egerton
Dur: 2 hrs
Genre: Spy/thriller
Rating: 3.5/5
PG: Plenty of foul language and quite some graphic material.

The film is based on the comic book ‘The Secret Service’ by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. This is no run-of-the-mill spy film. In fact they go out of their way to get that message across. There is no super-spy, who completes a near-impossible mission and walks away with so much as a crease on his immaculate blazer. In fact, the heroes, for it is team-effort, are pretty ordinary spies. There is not a hint of James Bond or such like characters… maybe, there was a slight resemblance.

The Kingsman are a secret service based in London who are so adept that no one even knows they exist. Gary’s (a.k.a.Eggsy) (Taron Egerton) dad was a Kingsman but he died saving the lives of his companions. Years later, Eggsy is given the opportunity by Harry (Colin Firth) to fill up a vacancy in the Kingsman. Eggsy agrees and begins his training. He shows great promise but fails in the final test. He is sent home but continues to secretly keep in touch with the Kingsmen through Henry. Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is a maniac with the power and influence to get his will done. He has come up with a strategy to tackle the population problem but it is a horrific and Machiavellian plan. The only one’s who stand in his way are the Kingsmen and he has already won over their head, Chester King and killed their top operative, Harry. Can the Kingsmen stop this maniac and bring the universal madness to an end?

The story is pretty good and springs enough surprises to assosciate it with the spy genre. The gadgets are as good as they get. There is only a whiff of romance. What surprised me most was the amount of foul language. For me, it was the bane of the otherwise excellent film. Colin and Samuel are at their best. The animations are a delight. There are no awe-inspiring dialogues or giddying chases, just as there isn’t an immaculate hero. It’s just not that kind of movie. 


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