Photo by Jaap Buitendijk - TM and © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
Rated: R
Starring: Colin Firth and Taron Egerton
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
British foreign intelligence agency MI6 serves as the organizational framework for the long-running James Bond franchise and many other spy films.
Kingsman: The Secret Service posits the existence of a covert organization independent of MI6. Using a Saville Road tailor shop as a front, these Kingsmen are emancipated from government bureaucracy, its putative corrupting influences and inefficiencies. Members are culled from the British privileged classes, wear bespoke suits, and exude a sense of patrician entitlement.They are dedicated to fighting evil forces in the world. Although it is never explicitly defined, it seems that they are all unpaid gentlemen do-gooders. They imagine their operation as being in the model of King Arthur’s Round Table and even assume the monikers of his knights.
The film starts in 1997, somewhere in the Middle East. Harry Hart aka Galahad (Colin Firth) is on a mission, which is somehow botched. His protégé dies while heroically saving Galahad’s life. Consumed with guilt, Galahad visits the bereaved widow, Michelle (Samantha Womack), and her young son, Eggsy. He gives them a medal, emblazoned with a telephone number on its back. If either of them ever need help, they need only call the number and utter a specially coded message.
Fast-forward 17 years. Michelle and Eggsy (Taron Egerton) are now living with some brutish, Cockney cad (Geoff Bell) in government housing. As a youth, Eggsy had won gymnastic meets and demonstrated considerable promise. However, the fatherless lad was adversely affected by growing up in a lower-class milieu. Now, he is at loose ends without any goals in sight.
One day, the police nick Eggsy for stealing a car and taking it for a joy ride. While in custody, Eggsy recalls the medal that Galahad had once given him. He calls the number on its back and recites the code phrase that he was once told. He is released immediately. As Eggsy departs lockup, Galahad approaches him and explains that he is the one responsible for Eggsy’s release.
One of the other agents, Lancelot (Jack Davenport), has recently died on a mission. He was attempting to rescue a kidnapped expert on global warming, Professor Arnold (a portly Mark Hamill, unrecognizable as Luke Skywalker). Our villain, Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), is a lisping tech guru who has made billions through his inventions. His lead henchwoman, Gazelle (Algerian actress, Sofia Boutella), wears pneumatically-powered prosthetic legs. These enable her to effortlessly bound through the air and are customized with lethal cutting blades.
To fill the vacancy created by Lancelot’s death, each of the various Kingsmen are charged with nominating a potential replacement. Undaunted by Eggsy’s lowly class status, Galahad submits him as a contender to fill the spot. The snobbish head of the spy organization, Arthur (Michael Caine), scoffs at the notion that some guttersnipe could survive the grueling training regimen.
It turns out that Valentine is a mad genius with an elaborate scheme to kidnap prominent world leaders and celebrities. He plans to eventually annihilate most of the planet’s human population, other than a few chosen by him to survive.
Director Matthew Vaughn adapted Kingsman from Mark Millar’s graphic novel. The film struggles to find its tone. Vaughn claims he intends Kingsman to be an homage to the Bond franchise. However, the plot mechanics are sloppy and the litany of exploding heads, impaled bodies and hyper-violent set pieces do little to redeem Kingsman. I was incredulous that this was the same director who helmed the sublime Layer Cake. Coincidentally, that film starred Daniel Craig, who became the current Agent 007.
Kingman’s best moments take place at its outset. The opening credits consist of chunks of rubble, which form from the residuum of a bombing raid. Snowflakes spontaneously aggregate to announce the film’s title. Despite promising early touches, Kingsman becomes a muddled mess. It is debatable whether it pays homage or is an unintentional parody.
