Kingsman: The Secret Service

Based on the comic book The Secret Service by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar, Kingsman: The Secret Service is the story of a young man who is recruited to be part of a secret spy organization where they try to save the world from a megalomaniacal man of great wealth. Directed by Matthew Vaughn and screenplay by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, the film is a take on the world of spies and what it takes to become a badass spy with a sense of style. Starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Sophie Cookson, Sofia Boutella, Mark Hamill, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Caine. Kingsman: The Secret Service is an exhilarating and fun film from Matthew Vaughn.

The film revolves around a young man, whose father had died when he was young, as he is recruited to be part of a secret organization from a man who feels he owes a debt to that young man’s father for saving his life. There, the two deal with a wealthy Internet mogul who has plans to wipe out most of the population in favor of saving the world as it forces the secret organization of the Kingsman to save the world. It’s a film with a simple plot that plays into a lot of the tropes that is expected in spy films such as world domination, chaos, and doing what is right. Yet, Matthew Vaughn and co-screenwriter Jane Goldman become aware of these clichés and play with those while investing their time in developing a young man who was going through an aimless life into finding something that has meaning.

The protagonist Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is a young kid who lost his father at a young age where he’s been living with his mother, an abusive stepfather, and infant half-sister where he had all of the grades and potential to be something more than a criminal but has a chip on his shoulder. When he meets Harry Hart aka Galahad (Colin Firth) who knew Eggsy’s father, he would bail him out and show him what he could be as Galahad is a spy that looks like a tailor but proves to be a formidable badass. Yet, Galahad is also dealing with the loss of one of his colleagues and needs a replacement where he and the Kingsman are dealing with this billionaire named Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) who is an odd villain of sorts. A billionaire with a lisp and can’t stand the sight of blood despite what he is doing to the world with his new free software that he gives to the world which really serves as what he is planning to do. Once Galahad and the Kingsman senior agent Merlin (Mark Strong) realize what they’re dealing with, they knew something had to be done which also prompts Eggsy to fulfill his own potential.

Matthew Vaughn’s direction is definitely stylish from some of the tracking shots and long takes he creates for some of the scenes to the mixture of violence and humor that is injected in the film. While it starts off with comical moments of violence, Vaughn does play into some of the impact that occurs such as an opening sequence where Eggsy’s father sacrifices himself to save three men from a suicide bomber which plays into Galahad making an oath to be there for Eggsy. While some of the action and suspenseful moments are quite gripping, Vaughn does find a way to inject some humor but also play into what is at stake where Eggsy learns what he has to do to become a Kingsman. Even in a tense moment where he meets with Kingsman leader Arthur (Michael Caine) that would serve as a major test to see if he can really become one. Vaughn’s usage of close-ups and medium shots do play into the drama as well as Eggsy coming to term with who he is but also someone that has a lot of attachments which is often the reason for why he never able to live up to his promises as a young man.

When the film reaches its third act where the Kingsman have to confront Valentine, it is presented in a grand scale in terms of its set pieces and what is at stake where Eggsy not only fulfills that potential. He also becomes aware of what is at stake where Vaughn does play with the conventions of these climaxes as some of it is very violent but also has this air of dark comedy that manages to be a whole lot of fun to watch. Especially in what Valentine unleashes into the world through his app which gave the world free internet and free cellphone usages which plays into the drawbacks of the modern world. Overall, Vaughn creates a very thrilling yet witty film about a young man who realizes his potential to be something more as well as saving the world.

Cinematographer George Richmond does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of lights for many of the nighttime interior settings including the film‘s climax as well as some of the exteriors in the day to play off its natural look for scenes set in London. Editors Eddie Hamilton and Jon Harris do nice work with the editing as it does have some fast-paced rhythmic cuts for some of the action and conversations while knowing when not to cut such as some of the tracking shots. Production designer Paul Kirby, with supervising art director Andy Thomson and set decorators Naomi Moore, David Morison, and Jennifer Williams, does fantastic work with the set design from the look of the Kingsman base and its training facilities to the secret hideout where Valentine holds his party. Costume designer Arianne Phillips does terrific work with the costumes from the tailored suits the Kingsman wear as well as the stylish clothes of Valentine.

Hair/makeup designer Christine Blundell does wonderful work with the hairstyles of the characters including the one Galahad would wear during his brief comatose state. Visual effects supervisors Steven Begg, Huseyin Caner, and Matt Kasmir do fine work with some of the visual effects though some of the background stuff don‘t look finished at times. Sound designer Matthew Collinge and sound editor Danny Sheehan do superb work with the sound in creating some sound effects for some of the gadgets the Kingsman use along with some of the sound that occurs in the locations and places the characters go to. The film’s music by Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson is amazing for its mixture of orchestral bombast and some pulsating electronic music as the latter plays more into Eggsy‘s personality while music supervisor Ian Neill creates a fun soundtrack that features a plethora of music ranging from rock, pop, and hip-hop from acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, KC and the Sunshine Band, Dire Straits, Take That, Dizzee Rascal, Iggy Azalea and Ellie Goulding, and Bryan Ferry.

The casting by Reg Poerscout-Edgerton is brilliant as it features notable small roles from Jack Cutmore-Scott, Tom Prior, and Fiona Hampton as a few Kingsman candidates, Hanna Alstrom as the Swedish princess who refuses to make a deal with Valentine, Bjorn Floberg as the Swedish prime minister, Richard Brake as an interrogator for the candidates, Jack Davenport as the original Lancelot who tried to save a professor, Geoff Bell as Eggsy’s abusive stepfather Dean, Samantha Womack as Eggsy’s mother whom he cares about, and Mark Hamill in a terrific role as Professor James Arnold as this man who would be a pawn into what Valentine is creating. Edward Holcroft is superb as the Kingsman candidate Charlie Hesketh who bears all of the attributes to be a Kingsman as he is the total opposite of what Eggsy brings to the organization.

Sofia Boutella is fantastic as Valentine’s amputated henchwoman Gazelle as this woman who is beautiful but dangerous as her sword-like legs are very dangerous. Sophie Cookson is amazing as Kingsman candidate Roxanne as a young woman who befriends Eggsy as she is one of the few who doesn’t dismiss his working-class background while being someone who can be a Kingsman and do what is right. Michael Caine is excellent as Arthur as the Kingsman leader who tries to sort out everything that is happening as well as deal with a world that is changing very rapidly. Mark Strong is awesome as Merlin as a senior Kingsman officer who is also the candidates’ trainer as a man that had seen so much as he is also the film’s conscious of sorts.

Samuel L. Jackson is phenomenal as Richmond Valentine as this megalomaniacal man of wealth who believes he has the answers for all of the problems of the world while doing it in a very evil way where Jackson brings charm but also some humor in his lisps and aversion to blood and violence. Colin Firth is remarkable as Galahad/Harry Hart as a Kingsman agent who personifies all of the things to be a spy that is full of control and style while also being the one person who can show Eggsy what he can be as it’s one of Firth’s finest performances. Finally there’s Taron Egerton in a real breakthrough as Eggsy as young man with a chip on his shoulder as someone that is lost and destined for trouble as he tries to find ways to better himself as well as bring meaning where Egerton manages to have some charm and dramatic weight to his role.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a sensational film from Matthew Vaughn. Featuring a great cast and an inventive premise that manages to be fun and engaging, the film is truly not just a play on spy movies but also showcases the idea of what a gentleman can be when he’s facing the world in danger. In the end, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a rapturous film from Matthew Vaughn.

Matthew Vaughn Films: (Layer Cake) - (Stardust) - Kick-Ass - X-Men: First Class

© thevoid99 2015

X-Men: First Class

When the X-Men film franchise arrived in 2000 under the direction of Bryan Singer, the first film helped created a new wave of films based on comic book-created superheroes. 2003’s sequel X2: X-Men United was considered to be the best of the franchise as Singer brought more legitimacy to the franchise. Then, Singer left to do 2006’s Superman Returns as the franchise was taken over by Brett Ratner for 2006’s X-Men 3: The Last Stand which drew very mixed reviews from fans and critics. Then came 2009’s prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine that many considered to be the worst as a planned origins story on Magneto was scrapped in favor of another origins story about Magneto’s friendship with Charles Xavier for X-Men: First Class.

X-Men: First Class tells the story of how Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto and Charles Xavier/Professor X first met along with the formation of the X-Men and how their relationship dissolved as the whole film is set primarily in the 1960s. Helming the film is Matthew Vaughn of Layer Cake and Kick-Ass fame as he co-writes the script with longtime collaborator Jane Goldman along with Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz that is based on a story from Bryan Singer and Sheldon Turner. The film is a part origins story about Xavier and Lehnsherr but also introduces mutants that would be part of the series. Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Zoe Kravitz, Jason Flemying, and Kevin Bacon. X-Men: First Class is a good and entertaining film from Matthew Vaughn.

It’s the 1960s as the Cold War is brewing as Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) is planning to get World War III started by convincing Colonel Hendry (Glenn Morshower) to put missiles in Turkey. Yet, Shaw’s real name is Schmidt who had been a German professor during World War II as a man named Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) is trying to find him. Meanwhile in England, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has graduated from Oxford as he’s joined by his adopted sister Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) where they meet a CIA agent named Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) who asks for their help against Shaw. During a failed attack against Shaw’s ship, Charles meets Erik who had been trying to attack Shaw.

While CIA director McCone (Matt Craven) isn’t sure about using mutants to battle against the energy-absorbing Shaw. He ask MacTaggert and another agent (Oliver Platt) to aid Xavier to get things ready against Shaw with help from Lensherr and Raven as they meet Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) who has feet different from humans. McCoy introduces Xavier and Lensherr to new gadgets including a machine called Cerebro to increase Xavier’s telepathy as he tracks down mutants to join their team. After the search, Xavier and Lensherr along with MacTaggert go to the Soviet Union to see if Shaw would arrive to meet with a general only to realize that he sent one of his aides in Emma Frost (January Jones). Shaw meanwhile, stages an attack with his henchman Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Riptide (Alex Gonzalez) on the CIA to gain the mutants that Xavier and Lensherr recruited.

After Frost’s capture and learning what Shaw did, Xavier decided to move the operations to his home as he and Lensherr decide to teach Raven, Hank, Sean Cassidy (Caleb Landry Jones) and Alex Summers (Lucas Till) to prepare them for battle. With Hank trying to make a cure that would keep mutant abilities but make them look human, he tries it on himself which ends up looking more mutant. Xavier learns about Erik’s past as he tries to get him to reason as they start to battle Shaw and his team to prevent World War III from happening in Cuba. Even as the battle would eventually lead to the division between Xavier and Lensherr.

The film is essentially an origins story of sort about both Erik Lensherr and Charles Xavier in how they lived different lives and why they are the different men that originally formed the group that would become the X-Men. At the same time, it allows the story to learn where Cerebro came from and why Xavier used the house he lived in as a school. While that’s part of the story of the film, it also allows the film to get into stories such as Lensherr’s past in the Holocaust as well as introducing characters such as Mystique, Beast, and MacTaggert as how they played part into the X-Men lore. The problem with the script is that there’s so much told in the film but not enough to simplify things.

The screenplay does have some characters such as Raven, Hank, Moira, Shaw, Charles, and Erik that got things to do and fully-realized. Yet, there was also some that didn’t get fully developed as there were too many characters in the film to kind of follow. Some appear and then they’re gone while the Emma Frost character is really very dull. While setting the film during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis isn’t a bad idea and there wasn’t too much exposition in the film. That use of historical elements mixed in with the story and all of these characters create something that is too much without a central focus which should’ve been solely on Xavier and Lensherr.

Matthew Vaughn’s direction has some excellent moments though it has things that many blockbuster film audiences have seen before. Still, Vaughn manages to cram some humor into the film that includes a cameo by a future X-Men. Vaughn does create some exciting action sequences while his real strength in his direction is in the more intimate scenes involving Charles and Erik. He doesn’t have to do much and let the actors act as it features Vaughn doing what he does best. Yet, due to the script’s lack of cohesiveness and Vaughn wanting to incorporate many different genres into the film. Vaughn isn’t able to make things simpler while giving in to clichés with some things in the film. Overall, Vaughn does manage to make something that is entertaining but doesn’t do enough to make it stand out with the rest of the films in the X-Men franchise.

Cinematographer John Mathieson does some good work with the photography that includes some excellent moments such as the stylish lights at nightclub where Erik and Charles interview a mutant along with the blue-lights that surrounded Shaw‘s submarine reactor. Editors Eddie Hamilton and Lee Smith do a fine job with the editing that includes a wonderful montage scene of the mutants in training. Production designer Chris Seagers, along with set decorators Erin Boyd and Sonja Klaus and art director John King do a very good job with the look of Shaw‘s sub along with the clubs of the 1960s and the early versions of Cerebro and the X-plane.

Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does a nice job with the costumes from the 60s-style clothing the women wear including the lingerie to the early X-Men suits the team wears for the climatic battle scene. Visual effects supervisor Guy Williams does some excellent work for the visual effects moments such as Raven and Emma Frost changing form or Azazel popping up every now again as a teleporter. Sound designer Craig Berkey does some wonderful work with the sound such as the sound of rockets firing and cannons exploding to the chaos that goes on during the climatic battle scene. The film’s score by Henry Jackman is pretty good as its orchestral flair plays up to the drama and action moments of the film. Even as it has a bit of a 60s vibe to the music which features some songs from the early 1960s.

The casting by Roger Mussenden, Jeremy Rich, and Lucinda Syson has some inspiring moments as it features some appearances from Michael Ironside as a U.S. Navy captain, James Remar as a U.S. general, Ray Wise as a U.S. secretary Rade Sherbedgia as a Russian general, Don Creech as Col. William Stryker, and a couple of cameos from previous players of the X-Men films. Morgan Lilly, Laurence Belcher, and Bill Milner are very good as the young versions of Raven, Charles, and Erik, respectively as is Glenn Morshower as Col. Hendry and Matt Craven as the CIA director.

Jason Flemyng and Alex Gonzalez are OK in their respective roles as the villains Azazel and Riptide though they don’t get much to do other than be bad and fight. Edi Gathegi is OK as the good mutant Darwin as he only appears briefly as does Oliver Platt in a small role as a CIA agent. Zoe Kravitz has her moments as Angel though she doesn’t get much to do either other than fly and be sexy. Caleb Landry Jones and Lucas Till are very good in their respective roles as Sean Cassidy/Banshee and Alex Summers/Havok as they get to have a few funny lines. The film’s worst performance easily goes to January Jones as Emma Frost as Jones does nothing but look sexy and read lines as the only highlight in her performance is her lovely cleavage.

Rose Byrne is very good as Moira MacTaggart, the CIA agent who becomes part of the X-Men team as well as being a love interest of sorts for Xavier. Byrne plays it straight for most of the film as she does get a few funny moments including a great scene where she looks amazing in lingerie. Nicholas Hoult is also good as Hank McCoy/Beast who is a young scientist who helps develop future X-Men inventions while trying to find a cure to normalize the mutant gene as he eventually embraces his mutant role. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Raven/Mystique, a young woman wanting to fit in as she is torn between the two ideologies of Charles and Erik while befriending Hank. Kevin Bacon is superb as Sebastian Shaw, the film’s main antagonist as Bacon gets a chance to flex his language skills while be a charming villain who can be manipulative and cool.

The film’s best performances definitely go to James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. In the role of Charles Xavier/Professor X, McAvoy brings some humor to the character while being the man who pleads for peace and understanding. McAvoy brings a calm approach to his performance as he is also the most nurturing teacher of the X-Men team. For the role of Erik Lensherr/Magneto, Fassbender brings a more menacing quality as a man seeking revenge as he is the opposite of Xavier in wanting to be violent if necessary. It’s a remarkable performance for Fassbender as he also brings a great tragic weight to his character that is conflicted while he and McAvoy have great chemistry together.

Despite the messy script and uneven direction of the film, X-Men: First Class is a pretty good film from Matthew Vaughn thanks in part to the stellar performances of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. While the film does have something to offer to fans of the genre, it doesn’t do enough to make it more straightforward. Even though it is a vast improvement over the previous films like X-Men 3: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In the end, X-Men: First Class is an entertaining film from Matthew Vaughn that serves its purpose to its fans.

Matthew Vaughn Films: (Layer Cake) - (Stardust) - Kick-Ass - Kingsman: The Secret Service

X-Men Films: X-Men - X2: X-Men United - X-Men 3: The Last Stand - X-Men Origins: Wolverine - The Wolverine - X-Men: Days of Future Past - X-Men: Apocalypse - Logan (2017 film) - Deadpool 2 – (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) - (New Mutants)

© thevoid99 2011

Kick-Ass

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/8/10 w/ Additional Edits.

Since the emergence of comic-book based superheroes with films like Superman in 1978, Batman in 1989, and Spider-Man in 2002.  The comic book hero film genre definitely became popular with movie-goers but in recent years.  It's become parodied and also underwhelming.  2009's highly-anticipated film adaptation of the brilliant graphic novel Watchmen was a commercial disappointment while other comic-book driven films seem to have lost its edge in recent years.  In 2010, British director Matthew Vaughn decided to delve into the world of comic-book based vigilantes from a comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. called Kick-Ass.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn with an adapted script by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kick-Ass tells the story of a high school teenager who decides to become a masked superhero following a mugging he suffered.  When he gets attention from the internet, a 12-year old girl and her former policeman father decide to become masked vigilantes of their own.  When a fourth masked vigilante joins, they all team up to go fight a drug lord.  A mixture of superhero mythology mixed in with real-life situations, the film is an entertaining yet provocative take on the world of superheroes.  Starring Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lyndsey Fonesca, plus Vaughn associate Mark Strong, and Nicolas Cage.  Kick-Ass is a film that delivers in its namesake and more.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a regular high school kid who is invisible to nearly everyone including his crush in Katie Deauxma (Lyndsey Fonesca).  Though he has two comic-book loving friends in Marty (Clark Duke) and Todd (Evan Peters), Dave wonders about the idea of how people become superheroes.  When he and Todd were mugged while an innocent bystander watches and does nothing.  Dave decides to become a superhero by buying a scuba suit and become his own superhero called Kick-Ass.  Unfortunately, his first attempt by going after the muggers he's been mugged by doesn't go well as planned where he also got hit by a car.

Though he does finally get Katie's attention over the injury, he is amazed only to learn that she think he's gay because of what he did while being in an ambulance.  After another attempt to become a hero, Dave manages to succeed where he saves someone from a beating where Kick-Ass becomes an Internet sensation.  Kick-Ass gets the attention of not just mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) and his teenage son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).  A former cop named Damon McCready (Nicolas Cage) and his 12-year old daughter Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz) also saw the report about Kick-Ass as they decided to go in the vigilante business.  Even when Katie have told Dave about a drug dealer who had been harassing her.  Dave as Kick-Ass tries to deal with the drug dealer where he would meet Mindy's new alter-ego known as Hit-Girl.

After being contacted by Hit-Girl and Damon as Big Daddy about working with them, Dave tries to deal with the fact that he's got two vigilantes to deal with who are better than him at the job.  Meanwhile, Frank becomes upset over the deaths of his thugs along with some lost money.  He suspects Kick-Ass is behind this as Chris pleas to help him by becoming his own masked superhero named Red Mist.  After contacting Kick-Ass, Red Mist decides to team-up in order to go fight some crime.  Yet, when a lumber factory that is really one of Frank's business in disguise is burned down.  Chris reveals to his dad what is really going on as they realize the key to the man who really destroyed his place is finding Kick-Ass.

Dave however, decides to quit for a while until he gets contacted by Red Mist where he reluctantly plays the Kick-Ass role again.  What happens becomes a trap for all of the vigilantes as Damon's motives against Frank are revealed.  Then, they get some surprising help to fight Frank and the mob.

The film is a mixture of a lot of ideas relating to world of vigilantes and the mythology of superheroes.  Yet, it's really about a young guy trying to find his place in the world by becoming a superhero despite the fact that he doesn't have great fighting skills nor any kind of superpowers.  Just a suit, a mask, two batons, and the determination to do good.  Yet, it becomes overwhelming when he's dealing with two very skilled and inventive vigilantes and another one who is getting attention for taking down a mob figure.

It's not just Dave who is having problems in just being Kick-Ass while trying to balance it with being himself.  His fellow vigilantes also have issues.  Director Matthew Vaughn and co-screenwriter Jane Goldman definitely delve into the psychology of the world of vigilantes and their motive to fight crime.  Particularly Damon McCready aka Big Daddy whose motives to take down Frank D'Amico is more to do with what happened to him when was he sent to prison that would lead to the death of his wife during the birth of their daughter Mindy.  Though she was raised by Damon's former partner Marcus (Omari Hardwick) until age 5 when Damon was released.  She would be raised into a killing machine though Damon would hope for her to have a normal childhood.

Then there's Chris D'Amico, the fourth vigilante who is really just a kid just wanting to seek the attention of his mob boss father.  Yet, he also wants to live up to being the heir to his dad's empire knowing he's a mob boss.  Though Frank D'Amico tries to hide it, he also has a hard time trying to be a dad until Chris gives him the idea to go and find Kick-Ass.   The screenplay is truly complex and layered as it delves not just into the characters but the places they're surrounded by.  Notably the world of comic books that both Dave and Chris are interested in.  Even as there is a sense of melancholia about the way the real world works in relation to what the superheroes go through once their job is done.

Matthew Vaughn's direction is truly energetic in its mixture of action and comedy while giving audiences a break for some dramatic scenes as well as dabbles of humor.  Vaughn also made sure the film doesn't play up to the clichés of recent comic-book based superhero films.  Even as he goes to extremes to create something that is edgy, engaging, and entertaining.  At the same time, that edginess can also bring some discomfort to some viewers.  Particularly the idea of a 12-year old girl killing people in such a gruesome manner as well as saying some profane language.  Vaughn has made it clear that this is not a typical comic-book superhero film.  Even as it includes sexual situations and loads of graphic violence.

Vaughn's direction for many of the action sequences are stylized with slow-motion cuts and sometimes, fast-paced moments of violence.  Yet, Vaughn definitely understands what is needed for an action film.  Even when he mixes it with humor.  The overall work is brilliant as Vaughn creates what is definitely his best film yet as a director so far.

Cinematographer Ben Davis brings a colorful yet pristine look that isn‘t too polished in trying to make the film look like a comic book of sorts.  Editors Pierto Scalia, Eddie Hamilton, & Jon Harris do excellent work in the editing to capture the intensity of the action while slowing things down for the humor and dramatic moments of the film.  Production designer Russell De Rozario, along with set decorator Tina Jones and supervising art director John King do incredible work with the look of the film from the building and offices of Frank D'Amico to the comic book store that Dave hangs out at.  

Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does a nice job with the costumes as Dave‘s Kick-Ass suit looks quite ordinary while the suits of Big Daddy and Hit Girl have more personality to match their own personas.  Sound editor Danny Sheehan does a great job with the sound work to capture atmosphere of the film's action sequences including recreating the sounds of weapons for the film's climatic battle scene.

The film's music features score work by Marius de Vries, Underworld's John Murphy, Henry Jackman, & Ilan Eshkeri is a wonderful mixture of electronic music, rock, and punk.  Notably the soundtrack features some cuts by the Prodigy, Primal Scream, Joan Jett, Sparks, Gnarls Barkley, the New York Dolls, Elvis Presley, and Ennio Morricone with his theme from For A Few Dollars More.  The soundtrack is exciting yet diverse while it also features some of John Murphy's work from Danny Boyle's 2007 film Sunshine.

The casting by Sarah Finn and Lucinda Syson is phenomenal and inspiring as it features several standout roles including cameos from late night talk show Craig Ferguson as himself, Elizabeth McGovern as Dave's mother, Yancy Butler as Chris' mother, and from Matthew Vaughn's stock of regular actors.  Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng as a couple of D'Amico's goons.  Other notable small roles include Deborah Twiss as Dave's English schoolteacher who bares her cleavage, Sophie Wu as Katie's friend Erika, Kofi Natei as a drug dealer, and Stu "Large" Riley as Chris' bodyguard.  Notable standout supporting roles from Xander Berkley as the corrupt Detective Gigante, Michael Rispoli as Frank's sidekick Big Joe, and Omari Hardwick as Damon's former partner Marcus are all very good.  Clark Duke and Evan Peters are also very good as Dave's funny best friends who both share a love of comics and girls.

Lyndsey Fonesca is very good as Katie, Dave's school crush who mistakes him for being gay while learning about her own problems while being fascinated by the world of comics.  Mark Strong is great as Frank D'Amico, a mob boss who is trying to be a good dad while trying to run a business as he deals with some foes.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse is superb as Chris D'Amico/Red Mist, a kid who wants his dad's attention while being his own superhero as Mintz-Plasse gets more to do rather than play the McLovin' character from Superbad.  Nicolas Cage is marvelous as Damon McCready/Big Daddy, a former cop wanting vengeance while finding a chance to become a vigilante as Cage gives a performance that isn't over-the-top.

Newcomer Aaron Johnson is excellent as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass, the title character who ponders the idea of being a superhero while struggling when that role when he plays Kick-Ass.  Johnson's performance is very realistic in how young teens try to deal with their own awkwardness as the young British actor definitely stands out among his fellow cast members.  Finally, there's Chloe Grace Moretz in the role of Mindy McCready/Hit-Girl.  Moretz's performance is truly the highlight of the film as she can play sweet but also has a wit and sarcasm that is fun to watch while being the kind of young girl you don't want to mess with.

Kick-Ass is a remarkable film by Matthew Vaughn.  While it may not live up to a lot of the ideas and expectations of other comic book films.  It does succeed by being unconventional though it does kind of stray towards conventionality towards the end.  Fans of comic book superheroes will definitely enjoy this for the fact that it tries to be different and edgy.  Even as the comic book films are starting to run out of idea and just go for the big bucks.  In the end, Kick-Ass is a film that definitely kicks ass.

Matthew Vaughn Films:  (Layer Cake) - (Stardust) - X-Men: First Class - Kingsman: The Secret Service

© thevoid99 2011