In cinemas January 29th in the UK and February 13th in the USA!
An absolute pleasure. Kingsman: The Secret Service grabs your attention from the opening sequence which is set in the past. We then jump forward to meet Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton). A wayward young man who, having grown up on a rough South London housing estate with an abusive step father, ignores his potential and looks set to follow the wrong crowd to a lifetime in and out of jail. Luckily for him he is sprung from prison after a stunt involving a car by dapper gentleman spy Harry Hart: codename “Galahad”, who owed a debt to his birth father.
Harry (Colin Firth) offers him the chance to change his life around and recruits him to be trained and tested for the chance to become the new “Lancelot” and join their secret service. The organisation head quarters, Kingsman tailors on London’s Savile Row, are presided over by “Arthur" (Michael Caine) and the whole set up nods towards the agents being the modern day gentleman knights.
Meanwhile the highly popular, yet villainous, celebrity Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) and his lethal assistant Gazelle (Sofia Boutella), who has blades for legs, set in motion a horrific and diabolical plan to solve the worldwide problem of climate change. This film is not only one to see, but one to reserve a spot on your shelf for. It's hat-tip to the James Bond 007 era of spies is edgy and quick witted, bringing back the fun to action films. Packed with gadgets and tension there is no wasted time as the story digs in its hooks and pulls you along for a thrilling and exhilarating ride that couldn’t be more British if it tried.
Colin Firth gives an absolutely stunning performance and fits in this role like it was made for him. He is everything you want a gentleman spy to be and more, mild-mannered and moral yet absolutely lethal. Taron Egerton as “Eggsy” couldn’t be more different from “Galahad”, and yet somehow this chalk and cheese mix works so well. The two form a bond that is on screen brilliance and has you laughing with and rooting for them.
Newcomer Egerton has proved with this film that he is here to stay, with a character transformation that sees him go from a reckless and good-for-nothing kid to a suited and brogued spy who would look as comfortable ordering a martini as he would be saving the world. Genuinely fantastic. As is Samuel L. Jackson as a not so typical bad guy who cannot stand the sight of blood and yet intends to kill huge numbers of people.
The fight sequences in this film are just perfect. The choreography is slick, stunning and effective; while the way in which it is shot makes it stylish and sophisticated, not to mention elegantly brutal. The church scene will leave you reeling with your mouth hanging open, and probably has the best use of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird you will ever see!
Director Matthew Vaughn has not only hit the nail right on the head, but he has hung a sign from it saying ‘Follow This...’
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