Kingsman: The Secret Service

Matthew Vaughn has achieved critical and commercial accolades in recent years for his entertaining adaptations of cult comics and graphic novels. His previous efforts, X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, are smart, often employ good humour, build upon pop-culture knowledge and contain good action buoyed by heavy CGI use. The violence used in Vaughn's films is prominent, and his approach is extra-ordinary, so much so that it's brutality can clearly be considered an integral part of his style. This is perhaps the main feature that will separate Kingsman from it's contemporaries in the soon-to-be crowded spy-comedy sub-genre.

In recent years adaptations of comics like Kingsman: The Secret Service have become commonplace, mind-numbingly so. There are the success stories and cult hits like Men In Black, Road to Perdition, Kick-Ass, Sin City, Scott Pilgrim, 300, but more often are the forgotten and ill-conceived such as The Losers, 30 Days of Night, Wanted, Surrogates, Red, The Rundown. But Kingsman will be remembered for some time. It's smart, sweary, violent, and loyally devoted to modernising and stylising classic spy films, particularly Bond, of course, with a an eye for comedy and reference. Vaughn has stated that he was influenced by the manner Indiana Jones was made for modern audiences and hoped to achieve a similar effect.

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin is a young cocky troublemaker living with his Mum and her gangster boyfriend in a poor flat complex in London. After getting into trouble with the police, he uses a code and phone number imprinted on his medallion, the only memento from his father who died mysteriously when Eggsy was a toddler, to bail himself out. Doing so Eggsy unintentionally summons Harry Hart, a.k.a Galahad, a smartly dressed man who declares himself to be a tailor and informs Eggsy that his father saved his life. Hart then recruits Eggsy into the Kingsman program, a modern day melding of the Knights of the Round Table with the flair and resources of Ian Fleming's famous espionage firm. Meanwhile, an eccentric billionaire communications mogul and his assistant (sporting sword-like leg prostethics) begin to kidnap prominent scientists and world leaders while simultaneously unveiling a new free mobile and network, which draws the attention of the Kingsman.

Kingsman is a shockingly violent film, containing extended set pieces resplendent with glassing, gun violence, bone-breaking and limb dismemberment, and in the first 10 minutes even a head-to-toe dissection. Funnily enough, and in contrast to recent bouts of extreme violence in unexpected films such as The Interview, Kingsman is largely bloodless. Obviously this is likely a combination of the wider production trend of adding CGI blood effects during post-production (see The Expendables series) and used to appeal to censors for a more commericially viable rating, but this appears in contrast to the unrestrained take on language used by Eggsy and Galahad. Though the language fits more into the films broader commentary on gentlemently dignity and behaviour that is the source of much of the comedy. In either case, the action is well-staged, Colin Firth and the stunt team of Kingsman really steal the show from Taron Edgerton's Eggsy. Firth performs much of his own stunts, though often he and the camera go beyond their usual capabilities. Firth morphs first into a CGI rendering of himself and then into one of his stunt doubles and back, whereas the camera performs zooms and digital edits that do help the flow and dynamism of the fights, particularly the pub and church fights. The use of POV shots during gunfights, Gazelle's prosthetic sword-legs and the trippy and artful method of eradicating Valentine's henchmen army in a single fell swoop also add oodles of flair to the well-choreographed action.

For all its flash and folly, Kingsman is ultimately as much of a homage to the spy films of old as Austin Powers is. Numerous direct and indirect references to the Bond and Bourne films as well as the influence of both plain on the film's style, with Jackson and Firth are the main offenders through their near constant references and mentions, though slightly more subtle aspects like the interior design of Valentine's secret base being similar to the one in You Only Live Twice, or the scope Valentine's attack being as grand as in Moonraker. At the risk of spoiling the final act, Kingsman's villainous plan fits in appropriately with contemporary society. Instead of a simple threat of terror and attack, Valentine's plan is to aggressively combat climate change by forcibly culling the population through the use of a signal emanating from his company's mobile phone that forces the aggression centre of a persons brain into overdrive. It's a brilliant tactic and affect as the film depicts mass carnage in a 28 Days Later-style effect, and the combination of mobile technology and environmental awareness really cements the time period.. Unfortunately, the Kingsman have little reason to stop it aside from a lot of people dying, and there's very little debate. It's also during these scenes it becomss clear that Kingsman has problems with it's female characters. Earlier in the film, Eggsy's Mum, Roxy and the assassin Gazelle are all strong, yet underwritten characters, but during the finale a shift occurs with the former two. Eggsy's Mum has a few shots dedicated to her and her baby in an attempt to personalise the plight of Valentine's rage-inducing attack and Roxy's role in the finale is reduced to riding a balloon into the upper atmosphere, where Mark Strong's Merlin activates a missile on her behalf from her rig that's attached to the balloon, then she promptly parachutes back to Earth and rings Eggsy's Mum. During that time Eggsy, who is not a member of the Kingsman fights an army of henchmen, Gazelle and Valentine and ultimately saves the world. Seeing Eggsy's heroic actions intercut woth Roxy standing in one spot and talking on a phone emphasises the creeping feeling that these two female roles were after-thoughts shot after principal photography ended. It's really very grating to see two of the main female voices in this film written into these corners, especially when Roxy has a great set-up. But the most baffling and repugnant treatment is saved for the immediate aftermath of Valentine's defeat, which is played for comedy, but makes the Moonraker "I think he's attempting re-entry, sir!" moment look regal by comparison.

Smart, funny, and inventive with it's action and violence, Kingsman moves well beyond it's basic existence as Alex Rider: Stormbreaker meets Kick-Ass. It has plenty of flaws, but has enough fun and flair to impress.

Before I Go to Sleep

I went into Rowan Joffé's second feature Before I Go to Sleep assuming that it would actually send me to sleep. The trailer presented me with what seemed like a melodramatic and most-likely uninteresting premise. However, I certainly didn't anticipate the twisting and over-the-top narrative, that would unfold before my eyes over the next ninety minutes.

Christine Lucas (Nicole Kidman) is an amnesiac that wakes up every morning with no knowledge of anything much beyond her late twenties. Ben (Colin Firth), her husband, has to explain to her over-and-over again that she was involved in an 'accident' and that they have been happily married for years, with an upcoming anniversary that he is preparing a surprise for. Christine receives a call from Dr. Nasch (Mark Strong), a neurologist that she has apparently been receiving treatment from - behind Ben's back - and has asked her to record a video every evening before she goes to sleep, to remind her who she is, and anything that she has uncovered about herself and those around her during the day. Dr. Nasch hopes that this will eventually trigger Christine's memories and help her to discover the truth about her past.

Now obviously I can't say too much about the plot for fear of spoiling it, but I can say, that when it's all pieced together, it is utterly ridiculous. Not that a ridiculous plot can't be engaging, and for the most part this is, however, it's also frustrating in the extreme. The story never seems to get rolling before Christine loses her memory and she starts to backtrack, but unlike in similar movies, such as Memento - which this film seems to draw a lot of inspiration from - we aren't really provided with sufficient clues to start piecing it together. It's like an (even more) irritating version of Groundhog Day, but without the fun of Bill Murray. Instead, the audience trudges along, exploring every possible red-herring before getting smashed in the face with a ludicrous, yet somehow still clichéd denouement.

I must say, I've never been much of a fan of Nicole Kidman, but this is quite a superb performance from her. She perfectly conveys the isolation and frustration that engulfs Christine's life. Supporting her, there's Colin Firth, who is about as good as the script allows for his part - although, given the nature of the character, I can't help but feel that he's a slightly unusual casting choice - and there's Mark Strong, who is fairly decent as Dr. Nasch.

One of the more interesting elements of the film is its seemingly aggressive cinematography. The camera becomes a brooding, almost voyeuristic presence in Christine's life, with the closest comparison I can think of being the hotel in The Shining, personified through the camera. Then there's the sound design, which utilises sudden noises to work with the image in creating an unnerving experience for the audience.

I may have spent a whole paragraph rambling on about the ludicrous nature of the plot, but Before I go to Sleep still manages to remain quite an engaging experience. It has great acting from the leads, and the true look & feel of a psychological thriller. Unfortunately though, in this case, seeing is not believing.

Magic in the Moonlight

Well after nearly fifty years of his career and nearly fifty films written & directed (quite an achievement on it's own), Woody Allen is still going strong with his latest film, the romantic period piece, Magic in the Moonlight

In 1928, Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth), the renowned illusionist, fraud de-bunker and supreme egotist is called upon by fellow performer and childhood friend Howard (Simon McBurney) to expose a spiritualist named Sophie (Emma Stone) who has won over a rich American family, the Catledges, on the French riviera, nearby to where his Aunt Vanessa lives. However, surrounded by loud-mouthed Americans whilst attempting to catch her in the act several times, Stanley faces a problem, he starts to believe that she could be the real thing.

The story, again written by Allen, is like most of his films both clever and hilarious, with genuine characters that draw you in. If I had any criticisms of it, it's that the characters views morph just a bit too readily, which can sometimes be a bit jarring. However you could argue that this is just Woody having a crack at the immutability of our beliefs.

Both Firth and Stone absolutely shine in their roles. Despite his callousness, pessimism and extreme ego, Stanley is actually quite a likable character, and supremely funny, both of which come down to Firths strong performance. Stone is both charismatic and believable as Sophie. The supporting cast are also very good in this, especially Marcia Gay Harden as Sophie's unwaveringly supportive mother and Eileen Atkins as Aunt Vanessa, whose sassy wit is a joy to hear.

I find with period pieces, especially those that are set in this era, that you can often tell that it's just a facade. Here though, this is not the case where a lot of passion and care has gone into the overall design. The late 20's really come to life with the accurate costumes, lavish sets and vintage cars, all of which blossom with colourful character off the screen. All of this is complemented by a well chosen mix of period music and classical pieces.

Judging by it's current reception, not everybody enjoyed this film as much as I did. But one of the brilliant things about movies is that they're only what each and every member of the audience makes of them, and I found this to be genuinely funny, impeccably directed and surprisingly touching in parts. I really enjoyed this one.

Devil's Knot

 Atom Egoyan's film Devil's Knot dramatises the real life events that surround the trial of the West Memphis Three, who were charged with the 1993 murder of three boys. The topic has been subject to many previous documentaries and indepth analysis, so where does this film fit in?

On May 5th 1993, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore, three young boys from West Memphis, Arkansas, were riding their bicycles in Robin Hood Hills when they were murdered. After the police discovered their bodies, the suggestion was that members of a local satanic cult had murdered the children. Jessie Misskelley, Jr, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were treated as the prime suspects, and the film follows their trial.

Many have criticised this film for it's depiction of a story that has already been well documented, especially with the Paradise Lost documentary trilogy, and hence is of little interest to those who are already aware of the events. I, on the other hand, went into this with very little knowledge of the story and generally found it quite intriguing. I understand that it could be boring for viewers well versed in what happened but I personally never lost interest the whole way through.

Firth may well have been an unusual choice to play Ron Lax, but once you get past the fact that it's Colin Firth on the screen putting on what I found to be a fairly convincing southern accent, he really does give another of his great performances here. Reese Witherspoon, on the other hand, wasn't really anything special in this I found. Not terrible, just not great.

Some of the images are violent and quite confronting at times, but they do well to present the events and bring the 'thriller' genre in the film out. Crucial information surrounding the case is presented through informative subtitles that never draw our attention away from the action, although the final summarising of the events from the end of the trial up to the present could come across as lazy film making to some.

If you have previously learnt about the Memphis Three through other means, then this is probably not the film for you, but for audiences who are looking to understand these tragic events without watching three documentary movies, then this is quite a strong film that delivers the narrative effectively, thanks by and large to Firth's performance.