Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

[Rick Kitchen]

This movie is extremely, extremely bloody and violent, but the violence is turned up to ten and choreographed to music and played for laughs.  I loved it.  Loved the special gear, the settings, the over the top villain, his sidekick (Sofia Boutella is kickass), loved everything about it.  I just had a great time watching it.  I also love their references to James Bond movies.

 

I felt bad for Eggsy's mum.  I hope her life is better from now on.

 

Mark Hamill has gotten old.

 

Was this filmed in the same council flats as Beautiful Thing, or is it just that all English council flats look like that?

 

[Danny Franks]

I've seen those flats before in an episode of Primeval, so it might be that they're appreciated by filmmakers for their odd look. They're definitely not typical of blocks of flats in Britain.

 

Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie too. I'm not a fan of Mark Millar, or of the previous movies made from his work, but this one was just so much fun. Silly, violent, funny, and thumbing its nose at all the Bond clichés affectionately. The best, of course, was saved for last, when they completely eschewed the Bond double entendres and suggestiveness, with the Swedish princess openly offering anal in return for Eggsy saving the world.

 

I liked Eggsy, and thought he made a strangely likeable thug. Particularly enjoyed his dismay at learning that the "bulldog" he'd adopted was in fact a pug. His evolution through the movie was kind of ridiculous, but I guess it was supposed to be. I did like Roxy as well, and appreciated that she wasn't there to provide T&A, but was actually presented as a genuinely capable rival/friend to Eggsy. The rest of the candidates were toff stereotypes, which are always amusing.

 

Colin Firth was excellent as well. Stern and mannered, but also warm. He looked at home doing all the action scenes, and obviously handled the banter with Eggsy and Valentine as well as you'd expect. It was nice seeing Samantha Janus again, and she's not aged too badly since Game On (which I'm saddened to realise was twenty years ago).

 

Sofia Boutella should have a good career as a femme fatale, if this movie is any indication.

[MartinKSmith]

I saw this a couple weeks ago. Really enjoyed it. Colin Firth was awesome. It was completely over the top, but it owned that. 

 

Also, Game On was 20 years ago? I was definitely too young to be watching it then... ha

[AimingforYoko]

The scene in Westboro Baptis-, uh I mean that church in Nashville was B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

[cynic]

Loved it. The fight choreography was amazing and I'm not normally into that kind of thing. It was violent, but super fun and just so...British. Also, the lead was great, but Colin Firth and Mark Strong made the movie for me. They were too cool. Oh, and Jack Davenport too!

[Crs97]

I will post the unpopular opinion that we just saw it and are still laughing incredulously at how bad the movie was. When it was over, my husband said for the first time in the 18 years I've known him, "Well, that was two hours of my life I can never get back." It was awful!

[Shannon L.]

Our family enjoyed it.  My husband and I hated the heads exploding part and, while I loved Eggy's reaction to the princess's offer, I felt that the final scene cheapened it a little.  It was pointed out to me that he was still wearing the glasses and that had to be addressed, my thought was they could have had him close the door, then cut to Merlin saying "Oh my" (or whatever he said) and closing the screen. 

 

The choreography, especially in the church, was great.  Just the thought of filming that scene was mind boggling.  Loved Colin Firth as an action and thought the actor playing Eggsy was great, too.

 

I loved the soundtrack. 

 

It was campy in a way, silly, but really well done, imo. 

[Danny Franks]

Our family enjoyed it.  My husband and I hated the heads exploding part and, while I loved Eggy's reaction to the princess's offer, I felt that the final scene cheapened it a little.  It was pointed out to me that he was still wearing the glasses and that had to be addressed, my thought was they could have had him close the door, then cut to Merlin saying "Oh my" (or whatever he said) and closing the screen. 

 

Like I said, I think they were poking fun at the innuendo that accompanies the end of most Bond movies, with Bond having sex with the Bond girl, and someone making a 'witty' comment about it. It was supposed to be cheap, because it was making (affectionate) fun of the veiled cheapness of James Bond.

[Shannon L.]

Ah, that explains it.  It's no wonder I didn't get it: I've only seen three James Bond movies--the Daniel Craig ones and one with Pierce Brosnan and, while I enjoyed them at the time, I only saw them once and barely remember them except for a couple of scenes.  I have seen enough clips of other Bond movies to get the nod to them in Kingsmen, but I probably didn't get as many references as there were in the movie.

[Danny Franks]

Ah, that explains it.  It's no wonder I didn't get it: I've only seen three James Bond movies--the Daniel Craig ones and one with Pierce Brosnan and, while I enjoyed them at the time, I only saw them once and barely remember them except for a couple of scenes.  I have seen enough clips of other Bond movies to get the nod to them in Kingsmen, but I probably didn't get as many references as there were in the movie.

 

To be fair, I don't think they do that sort of thing in the Daniel Craig movies. But there's stuff like the end of Moonraker (I think), where someone asks where Bond is, and they say "he's attempting re-entry", as he and the Bond girl have sex in a spaceship. I've not seen a whole lot of the Bond movies, but most of the old ones seem to end with some sort of Carry On style innuendo.

 

I do think this movie made a much better fist of its female characters than most Bond movies have, though. In a Bond version of this, Eggsy would have slept with Roxy at some point, for sure, and Harry would at least have had an up-close-and-personal moment with Gazelle.

[Cirien]

Not to mention one of the Pierce Brosnan Bond film where they're watching him having sex with the Bond Girl (I think played by Denise Richards?) on an infra-red camera.

[dusang]

Not to mention one of the Pierce Brosnan Bond film where they're watching him having sex with the Bond Girl (I think played by Denise Richards?) on an infra-red camera.

She was "Christmas" right? So she also got the line about "I thought Christmas came only once a year."

[shrewd.buddha]

I thought it was a lot of over-the-top fun. The references to James Bond type characters, dialogue and situations was also enjoyable. 

It didn't take itself seriously which made it easier to just sit back and roll with it.. 

 

Only a few things bugged me : 

a) Where were the other Kingmen? Especially when the world was going to hell? An organization with massive facilities and personnel is suddenly down to one senior agent and two agents-in-training? 

b) The final test of agent training seemed too close to  real-world child soldier recruitment techniques that are horrific. We sort of laughed because we knew the puppy was safe, but still -- what type of 'good' organization would do such things?

c) They harped on teamwork during training, but there was never much teamwork going on.

d) Why would Eggsy realize the implanted chips could be used before Merlin did? 

[Amello]

As a fan of her on EastEnders, does Sam (Janus) Womack have a significant part in the film?

[NoWillToResist]

I really liked seeing Colin Firth in an action role. Doing it while dressed to the nines in an impeccable suit? Even better. Dapper as fuck. Goddamn.

 

I was not expecting this movie to be so over the top and ridiculous - I thought it was meant to be totally serious - so once I came to terms with its tone, I had fun.

 

I did however find myself pulled out of the movie when the pug had a weapon pointed at it twice in the movie...kept wondering if that fucked the animal up at all. And the kid wailing in the bathroom...I hope they filmed it in such a way that the kid wasn't really sitting in a room with an actress trying to smash through the door. That shit would be traumatic.

 

Speaking of the pug, I did laugh far too hard at Eggsy misidentifying his dog as a bulldog. Him thinking it would be a fighter and would grow bigger? Heh.

 

One thing I wish they had changed? Eggsy being pursued through Valentine's bunker by a million armed bad guys. Unless these guys were trained by Stormtroopers, it was ridiculous to me that ten guys with machine guns couldn't even CLIP the guy running ahead of them in a straight corridor.

 

And a million thanks to the film for not romantically involving Roxy and Eggsy. Seriously, a million thanks.

 

Kudos to the casting department because I found everyone believable. Michael Caine as the head of the Kingsmen was an inspired choice.

 

Was Valentine supposed to be some Spike Lee rip off?

 

Wasn't a huge fan of the Swedish anal sex ending, but credit to the character for keeping her word, I guess?

Edited February 16, 2015 by NoWillToResist

[AimingforYoko]

Was Valentine supposed to be some Spike Lee rip off?

I was thinking more Russell Simmons.

[Cirien]

She was "Christmas" right? So she also got the line about "I thought Christmas came only once a year."

[cynic]

...

One thing I wish they had changed? Eggsy being pursued through Valentine's bunker by a million armed bad guys. Unless these guys were trained by Stormtroopers, it was ridiculous to me that ten guys with machine guns couldn't even CLIP the guy running ahead of them in a straight corridor.

...

That bothered me too, until I remembered that his suit is supposed to be bullet proof. Yeah, that's still ridiculous, especially considering he wasn't even effected by the impacts and no one ever hit him in the head, but considering the movie wasn't going for any kind of realism, I was able to handwave it.

As a fan of her on EastEnders, does Sam (Janus) Womack have a significant part in the film?

She plays the lead's mom. I wouldn't call her role significant, but she gets several scenes.

[ImpudentCrockery]

I enjoyed some aspects of this movie a lot. It was visually very imaginative and fun, and the two lead actors were both good. I always love Colin Firth, but I was surprised how much I didn't hate Taron Egerton. From the trailers, I thought that character would be insufferable.

 

But the things that I didn't like, I really didn't like. I was sure that the final test for entry into the Kingsman would go the other way, and the "winner" would be the character who refused to follow the order. That would have made much more sense to me. And I hated the bit with the Swedish princess. There was that recurring line that "this isn't that kind of movie," referring to old-school James Bond-type spy movies. But apparently, when it came to using a female character as a sex object, it was exactly that type of movie.

[Shannon L.]

 

But the things that I didn't like, I really didn't like. I was sure that the final test for entry into the Kingsman would go the other way, and the "winner" would be the character who refused to follow the order.

Yeah, my whole family thought that the person who refused would pass the test because it would have shown their loyalty. 

[MartinKSmith]

I was sure that the final test for entry into the Kingsman would go the other way, and the "winner" would be the character who refused to follow the order. That would have made much more sense to me.

 

And I hated the bit with the Swedish princess. There was that recurring line that "this isn't that kind of movie," referring to old-school James Bond-type spy movies. But apparently, when it came to using a female character as a sex object, it was exactly that type of movie.

 

I agree with the first part, I felt that way, too.

 

However, the whole "not that kind of movie" thing, for me, was a knowing "we're exactly that kind of movie". They set up all the clichés and then followed through with pretty much every single one. 

[Spartan Girl]

I loved it.  It got a little stupid and violent at the end, but remember this was from the same guy that did Kick-Ass.

 

Colin Firth was so badass.  Is it wrong how much I loved him being brainwashed into decimating that whole church full of bigots?

[Jediknight]

Just got back from it, that was awesome and fun.  Yeah, I'm definitely getting it on Blu-Ray when it comes out.

[Shannon L.]

 

Colin Firth was so badass.  Is it wrong how much I loved him being brainwashed into decimating that whole church full of bigots?

Oh hell, no.  That's the scene that keeps playing over and over in my mind. 

[Rick Kitchen]

I'm flabbergasted to find out that the church scene was shot in the UK.  I didn't know that there were churches that look like that in the UK, not to mention that the houses across the street look like a typical American neighborhood.  Of course, that's probably green screen.

 

The church is Deepcut Church, Deepcut, Surrey ,England

Edited February 17, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[thuganomics85]

Just got back, and I really got a kick out of it.  Silly, violent, and offensive at times, yes.  But I just found it extremely amusing.

 

I do think a lot of it goes to getting Colin Firth as Harry/Galahad.  Just seeing a guy I'm use to either being a romantic love interest like in Love Actually, Pride & Prejudice, or Bridget Jones' Diary; or a "serious actor" like The King's Speech and A Single Man; pretty much playing an older James Bond, but more brutal and crass, was a sight to behold.  And, it really did look like he did a ton of the fights himself.  A lot of respect for that.  it's too bad Hank's time is already over, because I'm going to be bummed that won't be any Firth badassery in any potential sequels.

 

Next in line, is certainly Samuel L. Jackson giving one of his strangest performances in quite some time.  The lisp and the Spike Lee getup was an interesting choice, that I have to think was all him.  I got a kick out of Valentine not liking violence; the way that paid off in his death scene was brilliant.

 

Mark Strong seemed to be having fun as Merlin.  Michael Caine was his normal self as Arthur, until the end.  Between this and Wanted, it seems like movies based on Mark Millar stuff, like to cast actors known for "kindly" roles, only for them to turn bad at the end.

 

Thought Taron Egerton was fine as Eggsy, even if he wasn't my favorite character.  Wished Roxy had more to do, but Sophie Cookson made the most of it. Sofia Boutella was awesome as Gazelle.  Bummed she got killed off.  Would have loved to see her live to fight another day.

 

Totally didn't know Mark Hamill was going to be in this!

 

It was interesting going in, since I heard there was controversy over Valentine being an eco-terrorist and even apparently President Obama being part of the plan.  That, along with the mention of Ronald Reagan assisting the Kingsmen in the past, made it sound like it was going to be pro-conservative, anti-liberal, the way some were complaining.  But, seeing it: I thought they kind of took on everyone.  Valentine's plan of basically saving all the "rich folks" and letting the working class be the victims could certainly be looked at as mocking the class warfare over here in the States, and, damn, that church scene.  They certainly made sure to take every stereotype they could find about Conservative Christians at their worse, and let loose with it!  It really was just an excuse to have Colin Firth single-handily kill the Westboro Baptist Church, and no one really care that everyone was brainwashed.  So, I thought the controversy was just blown up.

Edited February 17, 2015 by thuganomics85

[Ariah]

Just came back from the movies. I liked it a lot, especially the church scene (and other action scenes). I usually get dizzy when the camera goes spinning, but this film had all the action and spinning, but still the situation remained clear to the viewer. No shaky cam, thank you!

 

Gazelle was exquisite - a mix of manga aestetics and ballet. I loved the way she moved.

 

Eggsy does clean up nicely.

 

Also, kudos to the film for not making Merlin a mole. And for not forcing Roxy and Eggsy as a pair.

 

I'd watch a squel, even though the best part (Colin Firth) will sadly not be in it.

[Danny Franks]

Also, kudos to the film for not making Merlin a mole. And for not forcing Roxy and Eggsy as a pair.

 

Two things I thought were dead certs. The first because... Mark Strong. He's always a bad guy. I actually said to my girlfriend as soon as he appeared, 'he's going to betray them'. And I was pleased that he didn't. A chance to play against type is something a lot of actors seem to really enjoy.

 

Eggsy and Roxy as a romantic pair seemed inevitable, and I think it's still there if you read between the lines a little, but I'm glad they just let Roxy be a worthy Kingsman in her own right. While I think they could have done more with her little storyline, I liked the parachute jump being tied in to her mission at the end. But it was annoying that she was confined to cheerleading on the phone while Eggsy did all the hard work in Valentine's base.

[Jediknight]

But it was annoying that she was confined to cheerleading on the phone while Eggsy did all the hard work in Valentine's base.

I was expecting her to show up when Eggsy was fighting Gazelle, and it would become Eggsy and Roxy vs Gazelle, or just Roxy vs Gazelle.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Jediknight

[NoWillToResist]

Yeah, I was a little disappointed that she didn't turn up at the eleventh hour to help but it occurs to me that Eggsy and Merlin left her location BY PLANE to get to Valentine's bunker, so I guess Roxy didn't have a hope in hell of getting to them. Hmm, if they were captured, I guess she was just fucked then, eh?

[Danny Franks]

Yeah, I was a little disappointed that she didn't turn up at the eleventh hour to help but it occurs to me that Eggsy and Merlin left her location BY PLANE to get to Valentine's bunker, so I guess Roxy didn't have a hope in hell of getting to them. Hmm, if they were captured, I guess she was just fucked then, eh?

 

Pretty much. But I guess the silver lining was, at least once she blew the satellite and got her parachute deployed, I knew she was safe. No worrying that they'd add her to the body count as a final piece of torment for Eggsy.

 

Regarding the bit with shooting the dog, it's not something new in this sort of story. As soon as they introduced the puppies, I knew that their training would end with them being asked to kill them. Not sure what it's supposed to prove other than mindless, slavish acceptance of orders and/or sociopathic tendencies (neither of which seem of much value to the Kingsmen), but it is a trope that's used a lot. However, I did like the reveal that so much of the brutal training they went through was smoke and mirrors. No drownings or parachuteless jumps, no killing the trainees at all.

[NoWillToResist]

And no dead dogs. Blanks, not bullets. Yay! :)

[benteen]

I saw it a few days ago and I loved it.  Fantastic cast, especially Colin Firth. 

[Mars477]

Just got out of the theater. Minor nitpick, but how is it that Sophie Cookson is the only one of the Kingsmen who knows what trigger discipline is but she doesn't get an action scene?

That church scene was excellent though. Standouts have to be Colin Firth, action hero, as well as Sofia Boutella, who's apparently a model, not an actress. I would've liked to see more of Roxy, and I have a few complaints about the pacing and that final act, but still it was a very good movie.

[Jediknight]

I imagine we'll see more of Roxy in the sequel that this will get.  Come on it's got to get a sequel, it's gotten good reviews, and has done damn good box office up against 50 Fanfics of Fanfic.  Hell when I saw it again today, there were a good number of people in the cinema.

 

This movie has made me want to see Colin Firth and Liam Neeson team up for an action movie.  They could call it Neeson and Firth Kill Bad Guys Dead for 2 Hours, and I'd be more than happy to see it.

[dusang]

I imagine we'll see more of Roxy in the sequel that this will get.  Come on it's got to get a sequel, it's gotten good reviews, and has done damn good box office up against 50 Fanfics of Fanfic.  Hell when I saw it again today, there were a good number of people in the cinema.

 

This movie has made me want to see Colin Firth and Liam Neeson team up for an action movie.  They could call it Neeson and Firth Kill Bad Guys Dead for 2 Hours, and I'd be more than happy to see it.

 

I hope it will get a sequel, because, as my friend put it "I was amused and entertained."  But they've actually launched a full-scale Kingsman clothing line so as the director himself put it, if they don't have a sequel, someone's losing a lot of money.

 

I saw it on Saturday after having read some of this board and knowing a bit of what was coming -- I still didn't realize that was Mark Hamill until the end when my friend told me.  Also, I was disappointed at the dog thing too.  Only a total sociopath could look JB in the eye and shoot him!!

 

The heads blowing up was a little over the top -- and it would appear that all of the world's leadership is now dead, so cleaning up this mess will be nearly impossible -- but I did like that they completely and totally ignored the inherent gore factor with bloodless explosions and attractively headless bodies left behind during the Gazelle/Eggsy fight sequence.

Edited February 23, 2015 by dusang

[Jediknight]

The heads blowing up was a little over the top -- and it would appear that all of the world's leadership is now dead, so cleaning up this mess will be nearly impossible -- but I did like that they completely and totally ignored the inherent gore factor with bloodless explosions and attractively headless bodies left behind during the Gazelle/Eggsy fight sequence.

There had to be some world leaders locked up.  We know Princess Tildy was locked up, and refused to go along with Valentine's plans, no matter what he tried.  Man, even the blatant Bond Girl parody was written stronger than you'd expect.

[Raja]

Regarding the bit with shooting the dog, it's not something new in this sort of story. As soon as they introduced the puppies, I knew that their training would end with them being asked to kill them. Not sure what it's supposed to prove other than mindless, slavish acceptance of orders and/or sociopathic tendencies (neither of which seem of much value to the Kingsmen), but it is a trope that's used a lot. However, I did like the reveal that so much of the brutal training they went through was smoke and mirrors. No drownings or parachuteless jumps, no killing the trainees at all.

I saw it for the first time on Agents Of SHIELD just last year. They left it up in the air if the trainee killed. At least i can't recall another use of the trope. The ultimate weapon seemed to be a version of a chemical agent used on the Agent Carter miniseries.

[Ohwell]

I just saw it today and really liked it, although I was surprised at the level of violence.  When that guy got split in half, I almost got out of my seat and left.  I'm glad I stayed.  The only thing I didn't like was having Samuel L. Jackson play Valentine (aka Russell Simmons).  I don't like him as an actor and I'm sorry he got the part; plus, his lisping was awful.  I did like the men in tailored suits though.

[dusang]

I just saw it today and really liked it, although I was surprised at the level of violence.  When that guy got split in half, I almost got out of my seat and left.  I'm glad I stayed.  The only thing I didn't like was having Samuel L. Jackson play Valentine (aka Russell Simmons).  I don't like him as an actor and I'm sorry he got the part; plus, his lisping was awful.  I did like the men in tailored suits though.

 

Allegedly, the lisp wasn't part of the character originally.  SLJ added it, as a nod to the frequent physical "challenges" of Bond villains. Allegedly, he actually has a lisp that he overcame in order to become an actor.

[Ohwell]

I still wish that they had cast someone other than SLJ.  Can't stand him.

[NoWillToResist]

Was Valentine romantically/sexually involved with Suzy Swordfeet? At first, I thought she was just a loyal henchwoman, but I'm sure he patted her ass at one point, so I'm not sure if that was meant to convey that they were an item, or just another sign that he was a douche because he's sexually harassing his female employee...

[Mars477]

Was Valentine romantically/sexually involved with Suzy Swordfeet? At first, I thought she was just a loyal henchwoman, but I'm sure he patted her ass at one point, so I'm not sure if that was meant to convey that they were an item, or just another sign that he was a douche because he's sexually harassing his female employee...

He might have been.  If there was anything between the two it was mutual and not sexual harassment.  There's also the way she touches Valentine's cheek before going off to fight Eggsy, which suggests a more than professional interest in his continued well-being.

 

I'm liking the Samuel L Jackson who plays villainous douchebags in Django Unchained and Kingsman a lot more than the Samuel L Jackson who plays Samuel L Jackson: Action Man.

[psychoticstate]

I really liked seeing Colin Firth in an action role. Doing it while dressed to the nines in an impeccable suit? Even better. Dapper as fuck. Goddamn.

 

 

Hell YES. 

 

I saw this yesterday and loved it.  Colin Firth makes an awesomely awesome badass and I just loved the church scene with Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird playing.  What a freaking fantastic use of that phenomenal song.  Nothing like having the redneck national anthem playing while a redneck church gets massacred.

 

I don't mind Samuel L. Jackson and I liked that he played a villian who not only lisped but also got weak over the sight of blood.  Made for a lot more entertaining character.

 

I will definitely be purchasing the DVD when it comes out and hoping for a sequel.

[AzureOwl]

Only a few things bugged me :

a) Where were the other Kingmen? Especially when the world was going to hell? An organization with massive facilities and personnel is suddenly down to one senior agent and two agents-in-training?

They explained that.

Merlin mentioned that if Arthur was compromised, then any one of the other Kingsmen or their support staff could be as well. And they didn’t have time to check who was clean so it all came down to them three.

I guess if any of the other Kingsmen really was compromised they would’ve died along with everyone else that had the chip activated, so it will be a moot point in the sequel.

Edited March 3, 2015 by AzureOwl

[vavera4ka]

The scene in Westboro Baptis-, uh I mean that church in Nashville was B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

quote of the year (if not decade):

I'm a Catholic whore, currently enjoying congress out of wedlock with my black Jewish boyfriend who works at a military abortion clinic. Hail Satan, and have a lovely afternoon madam.

[ChelseaNH]

I finally watched this and enjoyed it, except for the parts that everyone else noticed.  Especially the contradiction between "Loyalty!  Teamwork!" and "Okay, now shoot your dog."  Why would you want someone who'd shoot their dog?  (Roxy, I am so disappointed in you.)

 

Colin Firth was absolutely yummy.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

quote of the year (if not decade):

I'm a Catholic whore, currently enjoying congress out of wedlock with my black Jewish boyfriend who works at a military abortion clinic. Hail Satan, and have a lovely afternoon madam.

 

And I may never hear the song Free Bird the same way for the rest of my life.

[beetnemesis]

Great movie, a little strange, a little different, a lot good. Mix up some Bond, Get Smart and a little Xmen, awesome.

[nobodyyoucare]

 

what type of 'good' organization would do such things?

What makes you think the Kingsmen are "good"? This is an agency that does wetwork. Meaning agents that turn such as their partners  are going to have a termination order issued on them. What better way of testing if people are going to follow through with that then see if they can pull the trigger on a dog meant to be their partner?