KINGSMAN THE SECRET SERVICE

From the first scene of helicopters swooping in to attack to the tune of Dire Straits Money for Nothing, you know exactly what you’re going to get from Kingsman. This is film which is not going to take itself too seriously and just invites you to go along for the ride (though as we shall see later not all the cast seemed to get that memo). The films action sequences can best be described as a pleasant acid trip with fast paced hand-to -hand action and gun play. One sequence that seems to be dividing people is a particularly brutal sequence in a church (this is what happens when someone steals from the collection plate) which, while cartoonish, still stands out as over-the-top (which is saying something from the makers of Kickass) Our protagonist in this over the-top tale is Eggsy (that’s his name and it’s no yoke) played by Taron Egerton, is the least likely secret agent since Vin Diesel in XXX. Some have criticized the film for a perceived characterization of the working class as either criminals, layabouts, or aimless drifters just waiting for a friendly aristocrat to come along and help them. Personally I don’t think there is any malice involved, this is not a film which aspires to social commentary. At the other end of the performance scale Colin Firth plays the entire film like he is in a straight-faced spy thriller. At times it’s almost like he hasn’t been given the whole script and is unaware of the farcical nature of most of the film. Weirdly this actually works in the film’s favor as it makes his character, Harry Hart, one of the film’s most memorable elements (and remember this is a film where a woman uses her prosthetic legs as deadly weapons) Samuel L Jackson hams it up as the film’s villain, Roman Valentine, and whilst his performance is fun, the script deprives him of any really memorable lines. Much more memorable is henchwoman Gazelle who uses her special artificial legs to cut through the opposition (Pistorius joke? too tasteless). FINAL VERDICT 10/10 “Give me a far-fetched theatrical plot any day”