9/20/17

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

First things first. Colin Firth's character is NOT dead, although he is much altered.

Okay. Now that that's clear, let's talk about this diverting second installment of a popular series. Headquarters has been destroyed and the world is in jeopardy. Our favorite Kingsman discovers a secret spy agency in the United States that is allied with his own...the Statesmen. So he and Merlin are off to Kentucky.

Matthew Vaughn ("X-Men: First Class") is back at the helm for a second chapter. This nearly 2.5 hour R-rated actioner is bold, brassy and every minute is fun. The plot is easy to follow, the fight choreography is outstanding and the production design is top notch (except for some Computer Generated Imaging that is fuzzy around the edges).

Part of Vaughn's cast:
  • Taron Egerton ("Eddie The Eagle") Eggsy must locate an antidote for a drug-borne illness and thus save the world.
  • Colin Firth ("Bridget Jones") Harry Hart brings his experience, his expertise and his extra-special sauce to...butterflies???
  • Mark Strong ("Miss Sloane") Merlin is someone we know will do the right thing... AND he can sing!
  • Halle Berry ("Kidnap") Ginger is a great techie, but she has higher aspirations.
  • Channing Tatum ("Logan Lucky") Tequila may come to regret a decision or two.
  • Julianne Moore ("Suburbicon") Poppy can hold her own when it comes to the net worth of her drug cartel, but she gets no respect.
  • Bruce Greenwood ("American Crime Story") The President of The United States has just solved the drug problem!
  • Emily Watson ("The Theory of Everything") His Chief of Staff Fox might see it another way.
  • Björn Granath ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo") The King of Sweden has a problem: his daughter Princess Tilde is engaged to an English street tough.
  • Pedro Pascal ("Narcos") almost steals the show as a young Burt Reynolds look-alike; Whiskey has unique talents.
This non-stop actioner is rated "R" for language, violence, vehicular mayhem and implied drug use. Oh, and some blowie uppie stuff, which is absolutely required in an action movie. Be prepared for familiar faces, wit, pathos, and a happy ending.

We were an excited, noisy screening crowd who exited the theater last night. We agreed that this one has absolutely no socially redeeming values, it exists simply to entertain. Yeah!
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Here is a trailer: 
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