Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is an action comedy sequel full of secret agents shooting bad guys, appropriately timed foul language and British slang, and camera movements that you will wonder how they shot it. Picking up where the first Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) left off, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) continues his path in the spy and tailor business facing off against the villain Poppy (Julianne Moore) and making some new friends along the way. Everyone involved appears to be having fun with the over the top-ness, involving gadgets (robots!), dialogue (cheeky!), and the action scenes (few cuts, often appearing to be one whole take). Those scenes have lots of twisting and spinning while following the actors knocking each other around (while not being too frantic to know what is going on) so try not to blink and you won’t miss any of the sight gags. The movie is rated 14A, was filmed in the UK and Italy, and benefits from Egerton aging his young agent slightly, caring more about the people he is close to and ably handles being at the center of many more established actors. Laughs came during unexpected dialogue, cameos (or extended ones), and when the absurdity of the plot got to be too much (which was great that the whole film played this way). Fans of the first will enjoy this one as will those who like humorous, spy movies, with a dose of eye candy.
2017, 14A, 2h 21m
Distributor – Fox
Budget / Worldwide Box Office (in millions) – $104 / $100 (and counting)
Cast & Crew
Both entries in the Kingsman franchise were co-written and directed by Matthew Vaughn, who also made Kick-Ass (2010 action with Aaron Taylor-Johnson), X-Men: First Class (2011 action with James McAvoy), and is now developing the spy films I Am Pilgrim and Kingsman 3. Jane Goldman often co-writes with Vaughn and both Kingsman films were inspired by the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. The Composing is by Henry Jackman (Kong: Skull Island, 2017) and Matthew Margeson (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, 2016), and a song by John Denver makes an appearance (his music also appeared in the recent Logan Lucky and last year’s Free Fire). Taron Egerton was recently in Eddie the Eagle (2016 true story about a ski jumper in the 1988 Winter Olympics with Hugh Jackman), his voice was in Sing (2016 animated comedy about singing animals), and will next be in Billionaire Boys Club (thriller set in the 1980’s) and Robin Hood (playing the lead role). Colin Firth was recently in Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016 rom-com with Renée Zellweger) and will next be in The Mercy (drama with Rachel Weisz), and the musicals Mary Poppins Returns and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Julianne Moore was just in Suburbicon (crime mystery with Matt Damon) and will next be in Bel Canto (dramatic thriller about an opera singer in a hostage situation) and an unnamed tv series created by David O. Russell. Also appearing is Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, and Elton John.
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