Fun, frenetic 'Kingsman' lets Colin Firth go spy-crazy
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Firth is so invested in the hyperactive vision that it's easy to forget that Colin Firth does not do this kind of shit.
City Paper grade: B+
If you're going to hop into that weird pool filled with acclaimed actors dabbling in late-career ass-kicking ("Don't be shy, the water's fine!" shouts Liam Neeson), it pays to make the dive with the right director. For Colin Firth, that guy is Matthew Vaughn, whose grinning Kingsman lampoons the gentleman spy archetype without compromising the mission. But poking fun at suave secret agents, with their sharp suits, killer gizmos and fussy cocktail specs, is the only overture Vaughn makes gently. Just as he did with 2010's Kick-Ass, he makes a vigorous effort to eliminate the taste barriers separating violence and humor. He doesn't always succeed, but be glad he took the risk.
Employed by a deep-cover London outfit that dresses as well as it kills, Firth's Harry Hart and his fellow Kingsmen are instructed to select a candidate for the seat of a fallen cohort. His pick: His dead comrade's son, Eggsy (Taron Egerton), who, with his flat-brim caps and streetwise accent, comes off like Tom Hardy's cheeky little bruv. Working his way through a ruthless training regimen, Eggsy outpaces his blue-blood competition, but high marks become irrelevant once the agency uncovers a global threat originating with a charismatic tech billionaire (Samuel L. Jackson).
The action — especially a certain single-cam fight sequence (set to "Free Bird"!) that'll prove unforgettable — is intoxicating. And Firth is so invested in Vaughn's hyperactive vision that it's easy to forget that Colin Firth does not do this kind of shit. Egerton is a promising youngster, but his mentor's every move, and the associated levity, is what makes this movie.
