Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service                                                         #StokerScore 10/10

Directed by Matthew Vaughan, who has been responsible for some awesome movies as a producer or director including; X-Men First Class, Kick-Ass, Stardust and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Hell, he’s even got a producer credit on the new Fantastic Four movie which is the only thing keeping my faith in that movie having seen the first lackluster trailer. Anyway, suffice to say he has an eye for action and a heart for story.

The movie owes a lot in so many ways to the 60’s and 70’s spy movies, with particular attention to Moore’s Bond. There was also a feel of ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ tv show, which is also about to see a cinematic return, and I’m even more convinced that I saw tv’s ‘The Persuaders’ where Tony Curtis’ brash American has to go toe to toe with Roger Moore’s Lord Brett Sinclair.

Basically the plot goes that, by virtue of an experiment equivalent to the comically referenced Trading Places and equally comically referenced My Fair Lady, A chav gets the opportunity to be inducted into the ranks of an ultra-secret - and ultra-snobbish - spy organization and fish-out-of-water games ensue, culminating with the realization that he’s not so fish-out-of-water at all and much to the satisfaction of a very happy pug. The lisping bad guy is suitably OTT with a great henchperson to support them and a lair to stand alongside all evil-doer’s lairs.

The cast is excellent, including cameos for some great character actors, with the old stages such as Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and Michael Caine effortlessly guiding the relative newcomers, and the plot moves us along at a rip roaring pace. The language is, for anyone who hasn’t seen Kick-Ass, rather choice so don’t take your granny if she’s going to be put out by consecutive F-Bombs, but in the context of the movie it’s nice to see something that isn’t overly sanitized.

I’m sure that this movie has its faults, but I’m not reviewing it for that. Uchiel and I enjoyed this equally and that’s what these reviews are about. Plus, it’s set the standard for a very promising year of film.

#StokerScore 10/10

Next up is the would-appear-to-be insanity that is “Jupiter Ascending”