The King’s Man (2021)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode
Primary genre: Spy
Secondary genre: Action
Third genre: Comedy
Matthew Vaughn, a prolific director successfully adapted Mark Millar’s and Dave Gibbons' violent comic “The Secret Service” in 2014 (“Kingsman: The Secret Service“ (2014)) by adding gonzo set pieces (who can forget the church scene) and extracting an unexpected action turn from awards darling Colin Firth at the age of 54! Followed by a bloated sequel in 2017 (“Kingsman: The Golden Circle“), Vaughn decided that perhaps a visit to the past and to the origins of the Kingsman service might bring the series back to its former glory.
Enter “The King’s Man” where this time around Europe is at the brink of World War I due to the influence of a Spectre like organization that seeks to eradicate England from the map. While initially this is an interesting approach to make World War I the setting and the catalyst for the creation of a keeping the globe in order agency, this prequel is overstuffed with unexplored ideas and is thematically confused. Been more concerned in establishing a web of future cinematic conflicts in revisionist fashion rather than using a linear story path, “The King’s Man” tries to move several plot pawns at once.
At its core, a father-son relationship between the Duke of Oxford (played excellently with pacifist gusto by Ralph Fiennes) and his eager-to-join-the-war-and-serve-his-country son, Conrad (portrayed bluntly by Harris Dickinson) takes mostly the first hour, with the Duke attempting to shield his spawn from the horrors and the desolation of war. Yet, there is not much to flourish their ongoing conflict with all the expected clichés being utilized from Conrad to progress his limited character development.
Considering that World War I was one of the most important (and decimating for the then population) events in history, caused by an overwhelming political confusion, watching it being the orchestration of an OTT Scotsman with a grudge against the British is a hard pill to swallow. While Vaughn’s abilities to interconnected key figures of that era together are admirable, moments such as when we witnessed a whole platoon of young soldiers being gunned down feel like they belong in a different type of film. Occasionally the script remembers that it is not supposed to be the next “Doctor Zhivango” (1965) but a wacky action spy comedy with a revisionist aim in its heart but here lies the problem: for all the lengthy discussions about the Britain’s “noble” definition, privileged upbringings and the sacrifices in an era of war, the constant tonal shifts hurt tremendously this sort of dramatic material.
Fiennes does a fine job as the stoic Duke - a combination of “The Constant Gardener” (2005) and “The English Patient” (1996) and the rest of the supporting cast are doing the best they can - Gemma Arterton is a gun-ho Marry Poppins, Djimon Hounsou brings action gravitas as Shola and Charles Dance is always commanding although they do not extend beyond information or plot devices. The big baddie though, a typically angry and foul mouthed Scotsman is nowhere near the level of Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine. Meanwhile his historical figure based minions (with the exception of Rasputin (more on him later)) are barely given their names, coming and go when the plot demands it.
Yet, the saving grace of the film comes in the form of Rhys Ifans as the secondary villain Gregory Rasputin, the real power behind the Russian Czar. Dominating the scenes he is in and oozing a surprising amount of appropriate menace, Ifans is a scenery chewing behemoth, giving a totally grandiose performance and having fantastic chemistry with Fiennes’ Duke. His confrontation with the kingsmen is definitely the highlight of the film, accompanied by an astonishing fighting sequence under a thunderous rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture and offers something you have not seen before and re-establishing Vaughn’s skills as a genius action director.
Although well shot, executed and technically efficient, “The King’s Man” feels like three different movies (action, anti-war, relationship drama) jammed in one. Overstuffed, tonally uneven and lengthy, with an uninspired big bad, it is not wacky enough to carry on the trademark mantle of the series. The WWI setting holds it back to reality but its revisionist take on some of history’s most disastrous human conflict might leave some annoyed.
Confused and in poor taste
+Rhys Ifans as Rasputin is the highlight of the film
+Action sequence of the year
+Ralph Fiennes is always reliable
+A no man’s land skirmish is well shot
+WWI setting is intriguing…
-But in poor taste
-Tonally all over the place
-Disappointing big baddie
-Uninspiring climax
-Too long
-Harris Dickinson’s blunt performance (and character)