Barrett Brief Movie Review: The King’s Man – A Royal Drag 

Barrett Brief Movie Review: The King’s Man – A Royal Drag 

Summary: In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy 

When Kingsman: The Secret Service burst onto the scene in 2014 it was beloved because it was a new twist on the superhero/spy genres. With the twist of a “Manners, Maketh The Man” and the slick camera work of Matthew Vaughn and the anti-elite plot, the film became a smash hit. Then Kingsman: The Golden Circle came out in 2017 and tried to expand on the world and deepen the lore with mixed results, which resulted in the ever popular prequel The King’s Man. After multiple delays and pushbacks, the prequel headed by Vaughn finally hits the screen. While the previews promised a return to form, sadly this film flounders under its own heavy plot and fails to bring the nobility back to this franchise. 

Royally Boring 

The film promises to tell the origins of the Kingsman Agency, but instead what we are given is a story about a father and son’s relationship in the mist of The Great War. I understand why they went this route, to try and make it personal. The biggest issue is that we get so involved in this interfamily drama that we lose sight of the overall goal of the film, which is to get The Kingsman established. We waste a lot of time, and I mean A LOT of time dealing with the relationship between Ralph Fiennes (Orlando Oxford) and Harris Dickinson (playing his son Conrad Oxford). It would help if they had any chemistry at all, which sadly they don’t. Meanwhile, the actual story we are promised in the trailer revolves around some secret organization that just happens to be in all the right places to help push the events of WWI along. How did they get there? No idea. Why are they all loyal to “The Shepherd”? Couldn’t tell ya. The few scenes we get of action are so few and far between that any fun they promise has already been sucked out of the audience. In the end, the very end of the film sees the beginning of the Kingsman, which at that point I couldn’t have cared any less. 

 The Cast

Ralph Fiennes (Orlando Oxford) gets the bulk of the screen time. While I find him to be a solid actor capable of good performances, he doesn’t fit here. Say what you will about Colin Firth, but he was more entertaining. Fiennes character is a drag for most of the film and doesn’t seem to be having a good time with anyone. Harris Dickinson (Conrad Oxford) doesn’t really have much to do other than play the “I want to go to war Daddy!” role, and be a plot point. Djimon Hounsou (Shola) is always so good in everything I see him in, even he seemed sedated in his performance. The only character that I could see fitting into the Kingsman universe is Gemma Arterton (Polly). She is the only one that seemed to understand the assignment and actually had some fun with her part. As for the villains, Rhys Ifans (Grigori Rasputin) is wasted in his role. Another actor who understood what kind of film was being made, I would say he chewed up the scenery but it was more like he was at a buffet. He gets knocked off too soon, kinda wish he was the big bad. Tom Hollander (King George / Kaiser Wilhelm / Tsar Nicholas) gets credit for playing 3 different roles that I didn’t realize until I sat down to write this review. Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Stanley Tucci have what amount to be glorified cameo’s, with the promise of expanded roles in future films (if there is any). 

Highs & Lows

Highs: The camera work by Vaughn is always a highlight. His action set-pieces are lively and shot beautify. 

Lows: After Rasputin, the rogues gallery really doesn’t get anything to do. Which is a shame because actors like Daniel Brühl & Valerie Pachner end up just standing around. Ian Kelly has the unenviable task of playing Woodrow Wilson.  

Overall

While the previews promised a return to form, sadly The King’s Man flounders under its own heavy plot and fails to bring the nobility back to this franchise. 

Score:

1 1/2 out 4 Briefcases