The King's Man

There are American films, and then there are English films, and not that it's unlike seeing a Brit film in the U.S., but this is the "The Secret Service" franchise that has spanned over the last five years. What's more is that "The King's Man" is basically the prequel to the other two previous films of the franchise. 

One man, Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) must race against time to stop history's worst tyrants, including Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) and Kaiser Wilhelm (Tom Hollaner), and criminal masterminds as they get together to plot a war that could wipe out millions of people and destroy humanity. Oxford decides to work with King George (Tom Hollander) in order to convince the American president, Woodrow Wilson (Ian Kelly) who actually didn't want to enter WWI. So, between Oxford's son Conrad (Harris Dickinson), Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), concoct a plan to overthrow a devious plot implemented by Rasputin of Russia. 

Others to round out the cast are Matthew Goode as Morton, Charles Dance as Kitchener, Alexandra Maria Lara as Emily Oxford, Orlando's wife, Daniel Bruhl as Erik Jan Hanussen, Alexander Shaw as young Conrad, Todd Boyce as Dupont and August Diehl as Vladimir Lenin.

This was equally directed as tight and slick as the preceding films of this franchise all by Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake" '04, "Stardust" '07, "Kick-Ass" '10, "The Debt" '10, "X-Men: First Class" '11, "Kingsman: The Secret Service" '14, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" '17). As opposed to many other directors, this filmmaker certainly can't be pigeon-holed if his resume says anything. This film, being the third installment of the franchise, is directed with the same flair and panache as with the previous films where it's easy to be able to recognize that the the same director helmed them all. He has an uncanny ability to get his actors to emit that droll, British presence and humor that has become the trademark of this franchise. If you like his brand of directing, his "Argylle" is being filmed now and will have a 2022 release date. It was certainly effectively written by Vaughn ("Stardust" '07, "Kick-Ass" '10, "The Debt" '10, "X-Men: First Class" '11, "Kingsman: The Secret Service", '14, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" '17) and Karl Gajdusek ("Trespass" '11, "Oblivion" '13, "The November Man" '14, "Blood Brother" '18, "The Last Days of American Crime" '20) plus TV, based on a story by Vaughn which is based on the comic book "The Secret Service" by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. Even though this film was based in several locales,it was written in a tight and cohesive way. Other than a couple of very small slow places in story as the story builds, this script was spot on and both Vaughn and Gajdusek deserve kudos for their ability to produce a story that is as riveting as this was. 

With all the films that Hollywood is throwing at the multiplex at this time, there are almost too many films to choose from, but this film is certainly worthy of viewing on the large screen. In fact, it is also presented in an IMAX format if you like that up, close and personal feeling. Enjoy this nice escapism film which we all could use today. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                            Rated: R                                                131mins.