The Kingsmen are a secret service agency, founded in the early s, independently financed and unaligned with any world government. Each remaining Kingsman chooses an entrant, in the case of Galahad Colin Firth he selects Eggsy Taron Egerton , a boy raised on the wrong side of the tracks living with his mother and abusive step-father. He is selected partly because of his abilities but primarily because his father was a former Kingsman also killed in the line of duty 17 years earlier while saving the life of Galahad.
His training proceeds along with the other recruits, meanwhile Galahad continues to investigate the death of Lancelot. Based on Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons comicbook from and adapted by the frankly awesome team of Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kingsman: The Secret Service throws you into a colorful world of debonair spies, gadgets, megalomaniac villains, spectacular set pieces, and sharks with fricking laser beams attached to their heads!
Ok, no sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads, but you get my point. While I appreciate the direction the Bond franchise has taken, there is still a sense of loss at the removal of the cheesier, fun elements.
Kingsman sates that need and then some. On the surface the film conveys a similar tone to Kick Ass , landing somewhere smack between James Bond and Austin Powers , but it has a brutal vein running though it bringing to mind the Jason Bourne films and dare I even say it John Wick. The latter due to the clinical brutality at times but the world building as well. Kingsman is rather self-aware, filled with cheeky references to spy productions like Get Smart, Harry Palmer, Jason Bourne and more and also intentional call backs like the one I opened this review with.
From jokes, action sequences and even the plot hello Moonraker! There is a classy retro feel to proceedings, not just old school with the attire and manners but design and music. Wonderful instrumental cues harkening back to Bond films of the 70s and 80s with a healthy smattering of BritPop.
