Review of Kick-Ass (2010) by John L — 09 Jan 2014

I agree that it's not for the faint of heart as there is much violence, well above average for the genre. While it has the expected bloodiness, it's no more bloody or gory than many other action films, indeed less gory than some Quentin Tarantino films involving blade and sword play. A couple of scenes, and the finale in particular, are reminiscent of John Woo films. Certainly most deserving of the "R" rating for both some very foul language and the amount of violence. It's an excellent story that develops all the main characters with equally excellent acting to bring it to life.

I've seen reviews decry the use of an 11 year old actress in the role similar to that of an assassin to be criminally exploitative, no different than pedophilia. Hogwash. Watch the "extra" interviews on the DVD/Blu-ray. She is most decidedly mature for her age, has been acting since 4 years old, and well knows the difference between acting, fantasy and reality, and that her language and behavior in the film would have her grounded until 20 years old if done at home (her words in an interview). Those that think her mentally damaged by it need to understand film making and the artificialities of sets, acting and special effects under lights and camera that all the actors and crews experience but the film goer does NOT see in a finished film (nor are they supposed to). Likewise, some of the behavior within the plot is intended to shock, and it's not intended to be celebrated. Those that think it glorifies what Hit Girl and Big Daddy do, or what some of the bystanders do (or fail to do), miss the point that they're supposed to be appalled by it. Some of the underlying message is about what a single-minded quest for revenge does to people and how it mentally warps them.

In summary, it's a well done adult level comic book "super-hero" fiction brought to life with real actors (vs animation) on the big screen.