I Bet You Didn't See... The Kingsman Trilogy
- ibetyoudidntsee
- Jun 22
- 4 min read
I must say, I was sceptical about these films. I had avoided them for some time, but I am glad I gave them a chance.
Kingsman: The Secret Service is the first instalment in this semi-spoof spy series. Taron Egerton plays Eggsy, a rough east London kid from a tough home that spiralled after his father was killed. Colin Firth is Harry Hart, aka Agent Galahad for Kingsman, an independent intelligence service. Hart recruits Eggsy to be the newest agent in the service, and watches him attempting to get through the trials.
Supporting Galahad and Eggsy is their (appropriately Scottish) Quartermaster, Merlin, played by the ever delightful Mark Strong. While Merlin helps to dictate and manage the trials for the new recruits, he also equips the agents with wonderfully retro-looking equipment. Think old-school Bond and classic Cold War CIA style equipment.
We are then introduced to the charismatic, maniacal, hip billionaire villain Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson with a lisp). His cool, trendy outgoing look very clearly portrays his villainy and the swipe at the modern world with him being the boss, getting what he wants and loving it until he murders someone and expresses his dislike for it.
The story follows Eggsy in his training, and then his entanglement into Valentine's diabolical scheme. It is well paced, seamlessly emotional from hilarity being ended by a sheer cliff of despondency, and then suave savviness face planting itself into pure nonsense and idiocy. It isn't cringy or embarrassing humour - which I zate, in all honesty - it is smart and takes the piss out of itself. There is a running joke between Valentine and Galahad about spy movies and what the bad guys fail to do to give the hero the edge. There is also the classic, vintage Bond ending... (IYKYK!)
Kingsman: The Secret Service was followed up with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Eggsy is now a fully fledged Kingsman agent, and with the help of Merlin and their American counterparts, takes on a 1950's themed drug cartel (headed by Julianne Moore) that is threatening the world (but to the perceived benefit of the US president - no, it's not the current one!).
It cleverly intertwines slightly with the original film as it runs just a short time after. We have a surprise celebrity appearance playing a kidnapped version of themselves - very well, I might add - as well as some very emotional moments with the original cast. The American equivalent agency, Statesman, is a wonderful micky-take on old U.S. stereotypes, but a great imagining on what an Kingsman agency would look like.
Cleverly taking swipes at modern society, the film makes digs at the U.S. "war on drugs" and the potential legality of certain narcotics, as well as making a point at the ravages of drugs on the innocent. Aside from the serious points, it is very funny and just as clever as the first film.
Another stellar cast, with Jeff Bridges as Champagne/Champ, the head of the U.S. agency, Channing Tatum as Agent Tequila, Pedro Pascal as Agent Whiskey and Halle Berry as their Quartermaster, Ginger.
The third film in the Kingsman trilogy is The King's Man. This is the agency's origin story, and takes us back to World War I. Ralph Fiennes plays Orlando Oxford, a true English gentleman with a secret network global dignitaries service staff gathering intelligence, with the help of his rather brash maid Polly (Gemma Arterton) and his loyal butler Shola (Djimon Hounsou). Oxford does all this while trying to protect his son from the horrors of life outside their aristocratic life. That is until they are present at the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the start of the Great War.
Meanwhile, a mysterious Scotsman called "The Shepherd" is recruiting followers from around Europe to influence and manipulate different royals and dignitaries. These include advisor to the Tsar of Russia Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), advisor to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) who is recurited to seduce President Woodrow Wilson (and was in real life tried and convicted of being a German spy in WWI), and later the Russian revolutionist Vladimir Lenin (August Diehl). Each attempt their bits of espionage and sabotage to the war, and most with more than a hint of historic accuracy.
For those of you who aren't aware, King George V, Tsar Nicholas II and Kaiser Wilhelm II were all cousins. It is well known that the King and the Tsar look almost identical, so it made sense to the filmmakers to make the three characters look identical. So who is the ideal pick? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Tom Hollander. He did very well at all three!
Just like in the other films, we have a wonderful array of exuberant fight scenes, outlandish plot lines, some great twists and a wonderful Scottish accent. We have the wild emotional rollercoaster we did in the others, some weirdly loyal goats and an intense, rather homoerotic scene between Oxford and Rasputin. Throughout we see how Kingsman starts and why the codenames are of the Roundtable Knights. Everything is cleverly laced into different parts of the film, and while the animation isn't the best (that can be said for all three films) that adds to the overall feel to the film.
These are a great watch, and The King's Man can be watched first or last and it doesn't take anything away from the others, which is not always the case with prequels.
All three films are based on The Secret Service by Mark Miller and Dave Gibbons.
Kingsman: The Secret Service Kingsman: The Golden Circle The King's Man
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn Directed by: Matthew Vaughn Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton,
Mark Strong, Samuel L. Jackson Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Rhys Ifans, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou,
Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry Charles Dance, Matthew Goode
Release Date: 13 December 2014 Release Date: 18 September 2017 Release Date: 6 December 2021
Rating: 8/10 Rating: 7/10 Rating: 8/10
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