Rating of
3/4
A King's Man Gets More Serious
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/19/22
Can the Kingsman series grow up? The first two entries in the series: Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle were both action-heavy but also had plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor across the board. Surprisingly, The King's Man takes a more serious tone, which may lead some people to be disappointed but, overall, makes for a much more impactful film - that still delivers plenty of action.
The King's Man stands out for incorporating historical figures and events into its narrative. Ralph Fiennes plays Orlando Oxford, duke and, after an opening-scene tragedy, a man who desires peace - and protecting his son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson) above all else. He has a close friendship with military man Kitchener (Charles Dance) - based on a real-life figure and watches as the world edges closer to all-out war. In the shadows, a group meets high atop a mountain to plot this out - led by the mysterious shepherd, this group also consists of historical figures: mad monk Rapsputin (Rhys Ifans), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Brühl), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner), Gavrilo Princip (Joel Basman) and, later, is also revealed that Vladimir Lenin (August Diehl) is also part of the group.
Princip is responsible for the assassination of Arch Duke Frand Ferdinand, one of the main factors contributing to the start of WWI - King George of England, Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm and Russia's Tsar Nicholas (all played by Tom Hollander) are all related and with rats in their midst, are turned against each other. WWI is known for the brutal trench warfare that took millions of lives - and the film doesn't shy away from the nature of this brutality. The film in general take a quite anti-war stance - though not necessarily anti-violence. While it takes its time building things up, it does also showcase some impressive fight scenes - notably a ballet/knife fight with Rasputin and the assault on the mountaintop to end the film. Fiennes is not alone with as both Shola (Djimon Hounsou) and Polly (Gemma Arterton) prove to be handy in both smarts and weapons.
It's understandable if some fans of the first two films find this one a bit slow and not near exciting. While the fight scenes are great - they are also few and far between with most of the film filled with more political intrigue and shadowy musings. I still think it makes for a more solid film - but also doesn't have near what I think of as the Kingsman flair. However, those that prefer their action served alongside some actual discourse may be surprised to see something this dramatic in the Kingsman series. The film also makes clear it is setting up for future entries (stay for those post-credits), but we'll see how things play out.
All in all, The King's Man is a deeper look into this world. It keeps the action but pulls back on the humor and takes a hard look at the high cost of war. Matthew Vaughn has turned the page and while not everyone may be on board, I think it's a step in the right direction.
