As usual I'm very very late to the party. But truth told I had a feeling when I saw the previews for Kingsman - The Secret Service that I would like it. And now that I've finally seen it I do like it indeed. It's a wonderful shout out to fans of vintage super spy movies sparked by the wild success of the early James Bond flicks. What we have here is a totally self-aware vehicle which takes absolute delight in the wonky details of such storytelling. The action sequences are over the top but do give a coherent impression of the violence which is sprawled across this sleek and handsome film.
As impressive as the direction is, it's the performances which make this movie, in particular the totally on-spot presentation by Colin Firth as the ultimate aging super spy Harry "Galahad" Hart, a man who is looking to redeem past mistakes and make the future of the world secure at the same time. Likewise, a real favorite of mine is Mark Strong who shows up in this story as "Merlin", the tech savvy trainer of the new agents and who ends up playing a big role in the story.
Also on board is spy movie veteran Michael Caine as Chester "Arthur" King, the leader of the Kingsmen, the super secret cadre of agents who have since the end of World War I operated to preserve world order beyond the reach of politics from the secret underground recesses of the Kingsmen Tailor's shop. On the downside is Samuel Jackson who gives us a villain too much like so many weirdos he played in the past. (His acting style seems to get broader and broader much like what happened to Al Pacino toward the end of his career.)
This is a fun movie, very violent surprisingly given the light-hearted nature of the film overall, but filled with some neat twists and turns. If by some chance you haven't seen it, I recommend it with gusto.
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