This is a spoiler-free early review of The King's Man, which hits theaters on Dec. 22.
It feels like a near impossible feat to review The King's Man, director Matthew Vaughn's third entry into his comic book spy franchise. The wildly overstuffed and often delightfully unhinged film – that is, in reality, two films in one – feels almost review proof. A combination of the film's many tonal and narrative contradictions along with its wildly unexpected moments create a situation where it's hard to quantify how it works as a whole.
So what can we say about The King's Man? It acts as a sprawling prequel to The Kingsman series, attempting to build out the world and origins of the independent spy agency. Its impressive ensemble cast is led by Ralph Fiennes in a turn equally overtly sombre and broadly humorous. As Shola, Djimon Hounsou continues his career as the absolute best thing in any comic-book movie. Let's be honest, are you even adapting a sequential story nowadays if Hounsou is not at the top of your casting director's list?? Gemma Arterton brings a perfectly crude edge as Polly, a foul-mouthed housekeeper turned secret agent. And then there's Rhys Ifans in a career best – and career deranged – turn as Rasputin. He's unbelievable.
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As the world looks towards World War I, The King's Man begins. The story follows Fiennes' Duke of Oxford, who becomes a pacifist after a family tragedy. That thread is key, as it represents the half of the film which will likely be the most challenging for viewers. Whereas the previous Kingsman movies have been action-packed comedies that lean into the salacious nature of James Bond and the slick spy franchises that have inspired it, this is a very different beast. More than half of the runtime is concerned with the nature of war, the importance of peace, and the Duke of Oxford's struggle with his son's quest to fight for his country. While those could be interesting things to explore, the film barely has anything new to say on those matters. These segments mostly serve only in slowing the wildly paced secondary plot, which is far more engaging and delivers some truly stunning action.
That action – coordinated by a massive stunt team including Bradley James Allan, Allen Jo, Emma Ennis, Wayne Dalglish, and many, many more – is easily the movie's highlight. When these epic fight scenes begin, you lose yourself in the midst of some of the most exciting cinematic showcases of stunt work in years. A Russian set piece featuring Ifans (doubled by Tom Hatt), Hounsou (doubled by Cali Nelle), and Fiennes (doubled by Mark Faulkner) is over ten minutes of action magic. Balletic, frantic, beautiful, and violent, there's so much here that will likely be studied for years… if it doesn't get lost in the runtime and multiple other plotlines. It's not a singular moment either; there are enough action standouts here that you have to wonder whether there's a slicker 90-minute cut of the film that focuses solely on the brilliant choreography and less on the meandering meaning of it all. And it's that chaotic juxtaposition that'll likely split audiences down the middle.
While the Duke has his pacifist tendencies, he's also in the midst of trying to find a way to serve his country regardless. That's one of the many strange contradictions in this film: someone can be a pacifist while still wanting to support the country that's killing millions. This is a movie about the founding of the Kingsman agency, so it's not a spoiler to explain that we get an insight into their beginnings here. Vaughn does his best to subvert the pulp stories that he's pulling from; Hounsou plays a man servant and Arterton plays a housekeeper, but they're both revealed to be much more. Fiennes' Duke occasionally criticises the treatment of people under the boot of the British government. It's another surface-level aspect, though, rather than being something deeper.
While it might not want to be, this is very much your father's Kingsman movie. In fact, it might be the most dad movie ever to dad movie. Not only is this a father and son story at its heart, this is the kind of tale that's been tailored to the dad audience. It's an action-packed historical piece that plays with ideas of masculinity while sticking to pulp tropes that are recognizable. Though there's tragedy afoot, a lot of the film plays like a wish fulfillment fantasy for dads of a certain age and lifestyle. So really, the biggest mystery of The King's Man is why it's not being released on Father's Day.
That duelling battle between old and new is at the heart of The King's Man.
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That duelling battle between old and new is at the heart of The King's Man. Not just in the sense of Vaughn trying to redefine his franchise or Fiennes and his on-screen son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), but also in the concept of redefining what an intelligence agency can be. In that way, The King's Man works as a sort of utopian fantasy where all classes and kinds of people can work together for a perceived greater good. But lower-class people still work for the aristocracy and the agency is still called The King's Man, so that gives you an idea of how independent or different it really is.
If you can look past those glaring issues and want some rip-roaring pulpy fun, then you might find a new favorite in Vaughn's third movie. It erases much of the weird sexual humor of the first two, replacing them with out-there action and a lot of father/son drama. Those tonal shifts are hard to swallow and add to the often unhinged nature of the film. While we don't want to get into spoiler territory, it's hard to see the thematic connection between Rasputin furiously tonguing a wound while being seduced and the horrors of WWI, which are brutally shown in the overlong second act.
The notion and motives of the villains leave a nasty aftertaste too. The King's Man too easily generalizes when it comes to its idea of who's evil and who's good, especially seeing as the film is aiming to fit into actual historical events and change them. Also, as a comic book fan, there's a contemporary real-life aspect added to the story's main villain that's so distracting and hilarious that once you notice it, it's impossible to not focus on it. Was this apparent slight intentional? It sure seems that way, and it's just one more thing that throws the film in another strange direction. Even at its wildest, though, it’s both grounded and elevated by its brilliant cast. Hounsou and Arterton shine, and Fiennes as well when he's alongside them. Aaron Taylor Johnson also has a small role so good that it'll leave you wishing it was bigger. Sadly, the key role of the Duke's son Conrad is very much a forgettable one, which is a big problem considering it's supposed to be the emotional heart of the story.
Verdict
The ambitious, strange, and overstuffed The King’s Man really does have magic woven in. There are standout moments that, on their own, deserve a 9/10. The action is stunning. Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Arterton, and Ralph Fiennes are great. The writing is at times laugh out loud funny. But it also often drags, gets confused with its own logic and politics, and struggles to make any clear statements on the things it takes so much time and effort to explore. For that reason, this is an undoubtedly divisive flick even for this reviewer.
