The King's Man - It Just Wasn't Fair from the Beginning

[Steelbook Indy]

Matthew Vaughn does know action.  He cut his chops as a director on Layer Cake and didn't get a chance again for a few years when he directed the marvelous Stardust.  Since then, his resume includes Kick-Ass, X-men: First Class and the Kingsman movies.  Vaughn blends contemporary humor and action.  As I looked through Vaughn's resume prior to writing this article, I can honestly say that I've not seen a movie of his which I've disliked - which brings me to The King's Man.  The movie came in at a dire 42% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.  It did, however, receive an 80% for its audience score.  I'm somewhere in between, but closer to the consensus of audience members.

 

The movie starts with the Duke of Oxford's family on a mission for the Red Cross in Africa during the Second Boer War.  Ralph Fiennes leads his family to a concentration camp with supplies, a message from the UK and the intent to observe to validate rumors he's hearing about it inhumane treatment of prisoners.  His wife is adventurous and courageous, but is mortally wounded during a sniper attack (witnessed by the Duke's young son).  This event forever changes the Duke's views, as he becomes a pacifist and dedicates his life to protecting his son. 

 

Fast forward 10 years.  The Duke is asked to accompany Archduke Franz Ferdinand through Sarajevo - and history tell us that tragedy befalls under the Duke's watch again.  The circumstances lead to World War I, and the Duke does everything to keep his son from enlisting - which ultimately includes letting him in on a secret - that Duke is one of the King's most trusted advisors and man of action.  This takes Ralph on a mission to Russia and eventually across the world to other locations which serves as an origin story for The Kingsman organization.

 

It's been years since Fiennes has had a lead in a big budget film.  Sure, he was Voldemort, but when was the last time he served as the lead?  That said, served as a quite capable lead who's vastly under used.  I won't say that he carried this movie on his back, but he did shine in many scenes.  For those of you who have been a fan of Fiennes for some time, this will be no surprise to you.  For those of you who are new to watching Ralph, check out In Bruges and The Grand Budapest Hotel.  In addition to Fiennes, the supporting cast of characters is fun.  There are over the top performances by Rhys Ifans, Daniel Bruhl and Djimon Hounsou - all who are no strangers to comic book performances.

 

The most fun of this movie is also part of its distraction.  The history of early 20th century with comic book revisions is both fantastic and fantastic.  The revisions are apparent and fun, but they leave the audience scratching their collective heads at times.  The fight scenes with bullet time camera work and choreography add to the fun and distraction at the equal levels.  For those who are familiar with the Kingsman universe, it's a must watch film.  The origin story is a missing puzzle piece, but at the same time a contradiction to it's predecessors.  There is a lot to like about this film, and I believe critics were too rough on it.  The plot twist and climax didn't have the punch that the other Kingsman movies held, but again the ride was fun.  After it was finished, I found that I'd enjoyed my time, but I probably wasn't going to give it another watch, nor was it going to stay with me.  It's a solid 7/10 stars for its cast and tongue-in-cheek innuendo, over-the-top performances grounded by Ralph Fiennes' straight man was satisfying enough.

 

Again, if you read and enjoyed this review or want to weigh in your own opinion on this movie, please drop a comment below.  I look forward to reading your comments.

 

Up Next: The Batman

On Deck: West Side Story.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Steelbook Indy