Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) - Matthew Vaughn

Matthew Vaughn's The Kingsman:  The Secret Service is the latest action thriller about a ultra-classified spy organization who must stop a mad-man from taking over the world.  The film is centered around Harry Hart, one of the agency's top men, who is tasked with recruiting a new member of the Kingsman.  His selection is Eggsy, an unrefined street kid, whose father was once a promising trainee in the program.  While Eggsy goes through the difficult and competitive training program, The Kingsman must confront the latest global threat - a tech genius' sinister plot to "save the planet".  Fully embracing the great range of tropes associated with the Spy film subgenre, Matthew Vaughn's The Kingsman is a self-aware, ultra-violent spy film that doesn't shy away from being over-the-top for the sake of entertainment.  The film's narrative is by-the-numbers, with Eggsy being the rough-around-the-edges recruit who is doubted by everyone but ultimately saves the world, but The Kingsman is still worth seeing due to its unique action set-pieces and care-free attitude.  Matthew Vaughn and crew deserve some credit for making an action film that feels lively and fresh, with action choreography and set pieces that do enough to not feel derivative in today's quick-cut, chaotic blockbusters.  This is not a film interested in being political correct, with Samuel L. Jackson's main antagonist character being a perfect example of that.  Always dressed in colorful outfits and sporting a lisp, this is one of the strangest main bad guys to head up a major release in awhile, offering a perfect bond type villian for this silly tale.  While a little overlong, Matthew Vaughn's The Kingsman is a self-assured twist on the spy genre that works due to its unflinching attitude and playful nature.  

---