Review of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) by Tiburon B — 07 Oct 2015

A secret organization of gentlemen martial artists with James Bond-level gadgets battles a crazed media tycoon.

While I find it morally problematic to cheer and altogether have fun with gratuitous violence, I have to say that this film is a visual delight with a wit and charm and devil-may-care exuberance that sets it apart from the rest of the comic book genre. It's true that it delights in bloodshed to such a degree that it rivals the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but it doesn't have the gall to do so without showing and, if even for a short moment, lamenting the resulting bloodshed. After all, it's better to show the gruesome consequences of violence than to gloss over it as simple good fun.

Colin Firth, most people's last choice for an action hero, actually makes an amazingly kick-ass action hero. Who would've thought? And Samuel L. Jackson is campy and hilarious, a Bond villain in the making, even as the film lampoons Bond villain stupidity.

Overall, I liked this film much more than I ever thought I would, and director Matthew Vaughn is proving to be an expert at the comic book action genre.