Like many of the films I expect to be watching in the near future, this is one that was recommended by some of my favourite reviewers/critics over at my favourite movie podcast, FTHISMOVIE.NET. (Unabashed shout out to them.)
When I saw trailers for this one, my curiosity was only mildly peaked, and I never pursued it. I have a modest liking for Colin Firth, but he's not Sean Connery, and the previews for this movie had a sort of James Bondian thing going on. But it was, perhaps, on the bubble of sufficient interest, and when it hit Netflix recently, I thought it would make its way to my calendar soon enough.
It starts out well, and caught my interest quickly. I found it was one of those movies that you avoid for so long, and when you finally get around to seeing it, after just a few minutes, you're kicking yourself for not watching it sooner. (Die Hard was one of these... took me YEARS to finally watch it, but now it's one of my TOP favourite films. And it's the new traditional Christmas movie).
The premise, and the presentation had me invested early, and I was enjoying it very much. I had completely forgotten that Samuel L Jackson was playing the villain, and that made me all the more interested (having just come from the Hateful Eight a couple of days prior). but he plays a multi billionaire with a lithp. I mean, a lisp. And I'm not sure why that was a necessary character feature for him. Stereotypically, such a speech impediment removes credibility from a character. So, what? To make him seem like a real person? To show that people with disabilities can become captains of industry? It just didn't work for me. I liked the idea of him doing that as Mr Glass in Unbreakable.
And part way through, the movie changes tone, somehow, and starts going over the top, unable to return. I think the scene in the church may have been that moment. Right through the final show down with this movie's equivalent of OddJob, who cannot land a blow on our hero in a protracted fight, while she managed to dispatch a more highly trained agent in an opening scene very quickly. I call "cheat".
But it was still enjoyable, but less so that I'd have liked. And I did learn something. Oxfords, not Brogues. Here's that, and nine other life lessons that can be gleaned from this movie. https://jackknavefool.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/oxfords-not-brogues-10-lessons-ive-learnt-from-kingsman-the-secret-service/
The church scene was an eye-opener.
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