This impressive spy thriller has some fantastic things going for it – but is bizarrely hampered from greatness with a very, very, questionable ending that pushes the boundaries of taste.
In fact, it’s a great shame that a lot of Matthew Vaughn’s – the man behind Kick Ass and X-Men: First Class – laudable work could leave a sour taste in your mouth due to five or six crude (bordering on vulgar) one-liners and unnecessary sexism that just seem out of place.
But let’s move onto the positive points (of which there are many) as Vaughn’s take on Mark Millar’s acclaimed comic-book tells the story of a super-secret spy organisation – led by Michael Caine’s Arthur, with Colin Firth’s veteran top agent Harry ‘Galahad’ Hart and ‘Q-like’ tech-man Merlin (Mark Strong) by his side – that masquerades as a London tailor shop.
But when a global threat from Samuel L Jackson’s lispy entrepreneur and twisted tech-genius Valentine – complete with blade-footed femme fatale sidekick Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) – rears its ugly head, Hart must look for the next agent to join the team.
He recruits promising street kid Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin to join a band of fledgling wannabes – including Roxy (Sophie Cookson) – who must prove he’s up to the job, along with helping clear Hart’s conscience after Eggsy’s Dad saved his life two decades earlier.
With some tremendous action set-pieces – that has more than a smattering of Vaughn’s Kick Ass about it – topped off with a breathtaking ‘church’ shoot-out involving Firth’s Hart, there is much to be enjoyed here.
Throw in Egerton’s charismatic and cheeky turn as Eggsy, which is complemented by the evergreen presence of Strong (particularly) and Firth (who is in danger of getting a little stereotyped though) – and a movie soundtrack which is the best this side of Guardians of the Galaxy – and you’ve got a film that is prepared to take risks, and for the most part works.
Sadly it doesn’t quite know what to be which prevents it from being truly spectacular.
It seems to fluctuate between a ‘12A’ and ‘18’ – due to the violence, swearing and aforementioned crudeness – and never quite gets its tone right before ending up as ‘15’.
Also Jackson’s bad guy could be borderline annoying to some, Roxy’s female agent is scandalously reduced to a bit part ending, and Caine’s role is arguably one of the most pointless he’s done, and a waste of his talent.
But despite the intermittently – and glaringly obvious – obnoxious flaws, this shouldn’t detract from the risky work that has gone into this project, that really pushes the envelope for the spy genre.
For that it deserves immense props, and any movie that includes Mark ‘Luke Skywalker’ Hamill (in albeit a small role) has just got to be worth a watch . . .
Visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for the latest up-to-date showtimes for movies at Peterborough Showcase. You can also join the chat on Twitter @showcasecinemas or on Facebook by searching for ‘Showcase Cinemas UK’.
Gavin Miller
[youtube id=”kl8F-8tR8to” width=”600″ height=”350″]
Comments