Nick Rieth, Zach Watson and Casey Picillo are telecommunications majors and write “Tangents” for the Daily News. Their views and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily News. Write to them at zhwatson@bsu.edu. Listen to their radio show from 7 to 8 p.m. Sundays on WCRD.
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According to "Kingsman: The Secret Service," a bulletproof umbrella is a gentleman’s best defense against machine gun toting enemies. We don’t happen to be dapper, suited spies ourselves, but Intel has given us permission to release the verdict on this film: it’s furious fun.
"Kingsman" is an espionage film that follows a group of international spies who adhere to a code of manners. If a code of manners sounds stuffy to you, then you’re in the same bunker as Eggsy, the protagonist of this piece. Eggsy soon discovers that being a gentleman does not necessarily mean being gentle, as the spies must jump into action to stop the threat of a flamboyant, lisp-adorned power maniac hell-bent on creating a new world order.
Samuel L. Jackson plays a nefarious and hilarious villain, and practically stole the show right out from under our noses with his weird quips and eccentric ways. At one point, he invites Colin Firth’s character to dinner at his multimillion dollar mansion, where they dine on the high-class delicacy known to the world as McDonald's.
Speaking of Firth, his masterful performance as Eggsy’s mentor managed to infiltrate our list of favorites as well. Firth’s character says, “Manners maketh man,” and his air of debonair certainly helped make this film. Eggsy himself is played by up and comer Taron Egerton, who shows promise for the future with his strong performance. Other actors include Michael Caine and Mark Strong, each a dynamo of incognito in his own right.
The best way to describe the aesthetic of this movie is “hyperaction;” the kind of action that’s gritty and intense, but not necessarily believable. It is stylized to a tee, and that’s what makes it so incredibly entertaining that you can’t look away, because if you did, the entire scene would have changed in the time that it took you to grab that stray popcorn kernel off your jacket.
The most impressive sequence is one such moment of “hyperaction,” a one-take fight scene focused on Firth’s character. Firth fights frenzied flocks of people in this segment, the camera following his action through the entire several-minute take and avoiding the danger as deftly as Firth. The amazing thing is that this is just one of many incredible action sequences that fill this film to the brim, and its secret compartments hold even more surprises.
"Kingsman" also manages to cast a suspicious glance back at old spy movies, filled with enough nods and tongue-in-cheek gestures to make it feel like a prim and proper follow-up to a Bond flick of the '60s. It pokes fun at itself and spy norms, choosing to hide its cards in plain sight and yet still usurp audience expectations.
While the actors and the action make this movie, the fantastic story and the well-executed visuals bolster "Kingsman" to its own edge-of-the-atmosphere heights. The characters are thought out and believable (well, as believable as any character can be for an escapade this outrageous). The plot twists and turns at every chance it gets, subverting the audience and leaving little room for boredom or even disinterest to try and sneak in.
If you’re looking for a film that presents intellectual enigma of a lifetime, you may be somewhat mistaken. What you will find, though, is one of the most ravenously entertaining, hilarious and action-packed secret agent films you’ll spy. We suggest you catch it now before it escapes the theater.
Rating: 9/10
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