• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• With: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, Harris Dickinson, Tom Hollander, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
• Duration: 2h11
• Music by: Dominic Lewis, Matthew Margeson
• My rating: 6/10
• Mid- or post-credit scene: yes

Synopsis:

In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.

Review:

Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Oxford in a movie that was very different than what I’d expected. First of all, this is a King’s Men movie, whereas the two previous one were action filled and slightly even exaggerated in the action, this was very different in tone. Had it been promoted as a ‘First World War’ movie (such as 1917, for instance) I wouldn’t have made a problem with the tone of the movie, but either I’m getting too critical with growing older or movies these days just don’t live up to the standard anymore…

What I mean by that is: when I expect a King’s Men movie, I want to see the exaggerated action, the funny stylised fights and the crazy camerawork that is typical of these movies… in the entire first hour and a half of this one, neither actually happens… there are a few minor action scenes but never does any of those have the same punch… and I do get the reason for the story told but it just took too long for the movie to get where I expected it to go…

Also Fiennes, who is such a great actor was the actor who lived but seemed to me to have come to die… only in the final part of the film do we see a bit of his true self (and the great action scenes we are familiar with in the King’s Men movies)

If they’d only comprised (cut?) the first 90 minutes by half and focused more on the action and less on the fearful, grieving father this could have been a wonderful movie!

And apart from one certain, important death (will not spoil anything), there’s a big level of predictability in the movie as well… I knew the villain and how he was going to die before it happened… (I must have seen too many movies in my life, I guess)

It’s a good movie, don’t get me wrong… but it is no true King’s Men movie until the final 30 minutes or so… if you want to watch it: see it as a British drama, with elements of a spy movie!