Growing up, my grandma Mimi always tried to take me to the movies. Whether it be the likes of “Despicable Me” when I was six, or more recently Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” starring Adam Driver, I could always look forward to a weekend trip to our local Cinemark theater.
As I grew up, she would make sure to select movies that were appropriate for my age level. When I was 11 years old, right around the time when Marvel movies were the perfect fit both in maturity and interest, Mimi thought she had found the perfect movie for my 5th grade self.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” touted a star-studded cast filled with industry icons like Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson with, then-newcomer, Taron Egerton.
Despite the movie’s R rating, Mimi picked me up in her signature silver Volkswagen Bug and drove me to the theaters.
If only we knew what was in store for us.
For anyone familiar with the Kingsman franchise, you might be thinking, “Why on Earth would you take an 11-year-old to see it?” To those unfamiliar, here is an excerpt from a movie screening site named Parents Previews.
“This package of gory violence, crass sex, and blatant discrimination will be accessible to any teen accompanied by someone over 17,” read a description of the movie’s rating published on their website.
It became apparent early on that this movie would be different from your classic spy movie. As a matter of fact, “Kingsman” is a direct satire of those kinds of films.
I can still remember the look on Mimi’s face not even 10 minutes into the movie. There is a spy who gets sliced in half from head to toe by a person with paraplegia and knife legs. The kind of look that says, “Oh man, what did I get myself into.”
Despite these grotesque depictions of violence and the frequent awkward sexual innuendos, Mimi and I didn’t just survive watching the movie… We loved it!
I remember being floored by the spectacle that was “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Director Matthew Vaughn perfectly captures what a modern-day action flick should look like and, more importantly, how it should make you feel.
This movie was Egerton’s breakout role, and rightfully so. He plays the British teen turned super-spy with the perfect amount of charm and style. His character, Eggsy, has an adorable mentor-student relationship with Firth’s character Harry Hart.
Another standout performance came surprisingly from Jackson. Even as a kid, I could understand that when big-name actors participate in smaller projects, they can sometimes phone it in. Jackson’s performance as the eccentric billionaire Richmond Valentine oozes the flashy touch necessary to make a successful action satire. The audience can tell that Jackson is having a lot of fun in this role, which allows them to also have fun with it.
While the lead performances are central to audience enjoyment, the themes are what made this film special.
Grappling with themes of over-consumption and mass-media manipulation, “Kingsman” was ahead of its time in many ways. The movie does an excellent job of not dumbing down these ideas, leaving room for viewers to reach their own conclusions. Modern action movies often lack subtlety, making “Kingsman” a refreshing take on the genre.
Vaughn blends these thematic elements with fast-paced action that keeps the audience wanting more. One long take in particular set to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” stands out as one of the best fight scenes of the past 20 years.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is the perfect movie for anyone looking for a fun adventure. I genuinely believe you can show this movie to just about anyone, and they will have a good time. It was so good that Mimi almost didn’t care that my 11-year-old self had watched it when I definitely shouldn’t have. It transcends age and genre, perfectly blending comedy, drama and action to create something unique for the spy movie genre.
“Do you like spy movies, Mr. DeVille?” (Hart is still using an assumed identity.) He replies, “Nowadays, they’re all a little serious for my taste.” Harry Hart, a Kingsman agent, said.
