By SETH HYNES
Kingsman: The Secret Service (MA15+)
Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine
YOU know, I think the James Bond franchise wishes it was still this awesome.
Kingsman: The Secret Service stars Colin Firth as Harry Hart, an elite gentleman agent who recruits a rebellious youth, Eggsy (Taron Egerton), into the Kingsman secret service.
Kingsman is an irreverent, boundlessly energetic and ridiculously entertaining tribute to old spy movies, but also has surprising heart.
The characters are all nuanced and engaging, and Firth and Egerton have strong chemistry in a firm but caring mentor-protege relationship.
This serves a compelling character arc for Eggsy, as Harry pushes him to take initiative and realise his potential.
The humour is cheeky without detracting from the drama, and the dialogue crackles with wit.
We’re only in February, and Kingsman already features several of the year’s best action scenes.
The effects are superb and the fight choreography is stunningly quick, brutal and creative, and director Matthew Vaughn keeps the camera far back and steady to properly show the actors’ moves (which is rare in modern action films).
The villain Valentine’s rather on-the-nose radical environmentalism scheme is even in keeping with the film’s over-the-top Bond supervillain roots.
For that matter, Samuel L. Jackson is clearly having a ball playing the joyfully crafty Valentine.
The grim Daniel Craig Bond films have their place, but Kingsman: The Secret Service outshines most of them with fun and flair.
