I was looking for a movie to watch last night and this was on my Disney+ list. The King's Man is an origin story for the Kingsman spy agency already featured in two action movies. It is set around the start of the last century when trouble is brewing for the world.
As is often the case the trailer may spoil various plot items. It is up to you if you watch it. I will try to avoid any spoilers in my review, but we can discuss plot points in the comments.
Ralph Fiennes stars as Orlando Oxford, a British duke who is trying to do good in the world after being a soldier, but tragedy forces him to assess what that could entail. He is trying to protect his only son who wants to find his own way and serve his country as war approaches. Meanwhile, a shadowy organisation is plotting to cause chaos.
The plot is pure fiction, but it is set around real historical events. Figures such as Rasputin, Lenin, Mata Hari and various royalty feature. Oxford and his team must find out who is behind it all.
There are some great action sequences as you would expect. Movie makers have to come up with something original and I think they succeed here. If you have seen the other Kingsman movies then you will know to expect some blood.
I do not think it glorifies violence and it is fairly honest about the horror and futility of the Great War trench warfare where young men were cut down in seconds. It makes it clear that these were people like us and not just faceless drones. I think there are a few moments where you will gasp at how cruel the writers are. They just do not sugar-coat it. I think in this they are actually being more realistic than something like Bond, but it is ultimately an escapist action movie. It just felt to me like they had tried to be more honest about the costs of violence.
Some movie heroes are just indestructible, but I think they need some weaknesses and Fiennes' character has his issues to deal with.
It only scores 6.3 on IMDB, but I would say it is better than that. I would rate it at least an 8. I think the acting is good and the action is staged effectively. There are a few comic moments, but you need those to counter the sad parts. I am not a big fan of movies that are relentlessly negative. This one made me want to look up some of the actual history to see what really happened.
