When I first watched Kingsman: The Secret Service almost a full decade ago, the now classic flick – it stars Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Michael Caine, among other British staples – had me hooked, made me laugh, and ultimately got me rooting for the characters.
That it's sat atop Netflix's movie rankings as the best streaming service's new no.1 (in the UK anyway) a full decade after its cinematic release – yes, it was released back in 2014, believe it or not – is a well-deserved ranking for one of director Matthew Vaughn's higher-rated movies.
That's royalty right there, too, with Vaughn's other credits including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch as a producer, and Kick-Ass as director. Indeed, Kingsman at times feels as though Guy Ritchie has made a Bond movie with Kick-Ass's levels of naughty humour rolled into one. Check out the trailer below:
In a way, that's not a million miles from the premise either: Kingsman is based on a comic book series of the same name by by Mark Millar, and follows 'Eggsy' (Taron Egerton), who is selected by Harry Hart (Colin Firth) and entered into recruitment to be a Kingsman – part of a secret spy organisation.
The role of a Kingsman seems a long way out of his reach, given his background seemingly being at odds with requirements, but his chav-like ways clash with the toffs who are also on recruitment. Without spoiling things, Eggsy does rather well and finds himself in all sorts of Bond-esque compromising positions – and ultimately going up against an eco-terrorist, Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), who wants to wipe out humanity.
Kingsman: The Secret Service was well-received upon its debut, and its Rotten Tomatoes score still holds an 84% audience approval rating – a little higher than the 75% critics' score, but reflective of the way it splits opinion for its sometimes 'naughty' humour. Egerton handles the role with aplomb, which continued into a (not as good) follow-up sequel 3 years later.
As it's now the midst of the summer holidays, bored teens and adults looking for light entertainment when the kids have gone to bed, will find solace in Kingsman. I can certainly see why it's shot up the Netflix chart having been recently added to the streaming service. Netflix can add yet another badge to its trophy of wide-ranging available shows and movies this August.
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