About the film (courtesy of 20th Century Studios):
As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man.
Matthew Vaughn has taken a real liking to bringing to life stories ripped from the pages of successful comic books. He got his first taste with Kick-Ass (2010), based on a comic series of the same name by Mark Millar. From there, he went on to direct X-Men: First Class (2011), which was already a well-established film franchise. Vaughn then found his true love when given the opportunity to bring to life a story straight from the pages of another Mark Millar comic book called Kingsman: The Secret Service.
The 2014 film starred Taron Egerton, a young lesser known British actor. That would soon change with the massive success of the ultra violent, fast paced, fun action adventure. A few years later, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) arrived to continue Eggsy’s adventures. This time around however, Vaughn shares a story of how it all began, almost a century earlier.
The King’s Man carries with it the same stylistic fun, swagger and outright savagery that made the first two entries a worthwhile watch. This story features historical figures such as Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner), King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas (all played by Tom Hollander) to name a few. Building this story on actual historical people and various conflicts makes this plot even better. Ralph Fiennes, Djimon Hounsou and Gemma Arterton along with Charles Dance, Daniel Brühl, Harris Dickinson and Matthew Goode are just some of the other actors that bring this busy battle fest together in all the bloody glory one could ask for.
The runtime weighs in at 131 minutes, but when you take into account all that is going on, it really doesn’t feel that bloated. As I’ve eluded to earlier, The King’s Man contains quite a bit of hard hitting action that should keep those that appreciate an R-rated movie like this pretty happy. In addition, the fight scenes and action sequences are well choreographed, which should come as little surprise given Matthew Vaughn’s track record. The plot is one that is straightforward at times, occasionally complex and mostly fun to follow.
While not quite up to par with the first film in the franchise, The King’s Man is definitely a worthy watch, especially if you’re a fan of history. It’s always fun to experience the origins of what we know is to come. And if the news that this feature is worthwhile watch isn’t good enough, it’s also been reported that Matthew Vaughn will be revisiting Eggsy’s timeline again. For now though, you can see The King’s Man, only in theaters, starting today.
