Kingsman: The Secret Service came out in 2014, upending the Jason Bourne/New Bond trend of gritty realistic action spy movies, and nostalgizing on the campier more gadget focused spy stories. After revitalizing the genre, director Matthew Vaughn returns along with Taron Egerton as Eggsy, Mark Strong as Merlin (Kingsman’s version of Q), Sophie Cookson as Roxy, and Colin Firth as Galahad. Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Pedro Pascal, and Channing Tatum have all joined the cast.
In the beginning of the trailer, Eggsy and Roxy are fully ensconced in the Kingsman, until we see a shot of a mansion being blown up. “My Way” by Frank Sinatra starts playing as Eggsy stands in a pile of rubble in the rain only to be approached by Merlin. This seems to suggest a devastating attack on the Kingsman that forces them to go underground. Eggsy and Merlin are shown on a mountain top, pointing guns into a large secret complex. The song continues to play over a montage of Eggsy doing spy things like car chases, at one point jumping out of a speeding car, sexual intrigue, and a fight with a very cowboy looking Channing Tatum. The first shot of Tatum’s character shows a belt buckle with the words “Statesmen” printed on it, indicating that there might be an American organization that mirrors the Kingsmen. Someone, possibly Eggsy’s former rival Charlie Hesketh, shows up with a robotic arm, capable of a number of actions and fights Eggsy, pulling him through a stone pillar.
There’s not a lot on plot here and that’s a good thing. We see shots of lots of good action like a falling ski gondola with Eggsy trapped inside. Pedro Pascal, looking like he went from Game of Thrones to Westworld, has some cool moments where he cracks his whip or does some pistol tricks. Halle Berry shows up looking like a scientist or possibly Merlin’s American counterpart. Jeff Bridges looks like his character from Iron Man, albeit now with a cowboy hat. And Julliane Moore shows up as the film’s antagonist, although still no clue about how she figures into the plot. Finally, at the very end, we see Colin Firth as Galahad, who was supposed to have died in the first movie. The eyepatch he now sports may be a clue as to how he survived.
Overall I’m very excited for this movie having enjoyed the first one and much of Vaughn’s other work. While I’ve enjoyed the realistic action movies of the last decade, a fun spy romp was a refreshing change and this looks like even more fun.
