{"id":866,"date":"2015-02-20T17:28:32","date_gmt":"2015-02-21T01:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wou.edu\/westernjournal\/?p=866"},"modified":"2015-02-20T17:29:15","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T01:29:15","slug":"a-bolder-bloodier-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/a-bolder-bloodier-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"A BOLDER, BLOODIER BOND"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"BY<\/a>
BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In regards to the newer MGM James
\nBond films, many reviewers have complained
\nthat the series has gotten too
\nserious, too dour.<\/p>\n

Even after the release of \u201cSkyfall,\u201d
\nthe most well-received Bond film in
\ndecades, reviewers were calling for the
\nspy genre to take its foot off the gritty
\npedal and remember its roots: its
\njetpack, laser-watch, snappy one-liner
\nroots. For anyone who agrees with
\nthese sentiments, the new film \u201cKingsman:
\nThe Secret Service\u201d should be at
\nthe very top of your to-watch list.<\/p>\n

Directed by Matthew Vaughn (\u201cLayer
\nCake,\u201d \u201cKick-Ass\u201d), \u201cKingsman\u201d is
\nan England-set throwback to the spy
\ngenre of the 1960s. Though it takes
\nplace in modern day and employs modern
\ntechnology as an important plot element,
\nthe feel of \u201cKingsman\u201d is rooted
\ndeeply in the nostalgia of the 60s.<\/p>\n

The film stars newcomer Taron
\nEgerton as Eggsy, a troubled young
\nman and the son of a secret agent who
\nbelongs to a private spy agency separate
\nfrom government control or regulation
\ncalled the Kingsman.<\/p>\n

Eggsy becomes the prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of another
\nKingsman named Harry Hart,
\nplayed superbly by Colin Firth (\u201cThe
\nKing\u2019s Speech\u201d), and undergoes training
\nalong with a handful of other potential
\ncandidates all vying for the
\nchance to become an agent themselves.<\/p>\n

The cast is rounded out by Mark
\nStrong (\u201cKick-Ass\u201d), Michael Caine
\n(\u201cThe Dark Knight\u201d) and Samuel L.
\nJackson (too many options).<\/p>\n

The latter serves as the film\u2019s main
\nvillain, one Mr. Valentine, an immensely
\nwealthy and environmentally
\nconcerned individual who hatches a
\ndiabolical plot to incite a \u201ccull\u201d on the
\nhuman race to reduce the population
\nand help save the planet. Like any
\ngood Bond villain, Valentine is distinguished
\nby a unique physical abnormality,
\nhis being a comical lisp.<\/p>\n

Although its comedic elements
\nmake the film oftentimes laugh-outloud
\nfunny and a joy to watch, where
\n\u201cKingsman\u201d really shines is in its action
\nsequences. And seeing as this is
\nthe director of \u201cKick-Ass\u201d we\u2019re talking
\nabout, that\u2019s no surprise.<\/p>\n

But director Matthew Vaughn outdoes
\nhimself here. The fight scenes
\nin \u201cKingsman\u201d are incredible. Some
\nof the best action I\u2019ve seen in a very
\nlong time. The church fight (yes, I said
\nchurch fight) is the bloodiest, boldest,
\nand funniest scene since the shootout
\nin the third act of \u201cDjango Unchained.\u201d
\nIt\u2019s an ambitious and effective mix
\nof intense choreography, CGI, Steadicam,
\nand constant gunfire. Your jaw
\nwill be on the floor.<\/p>\n

What also makes \u201cKingsman\u201d great
\nis its loyal attachment to the source
\nmaterial which inspired it. From bullet-
\nproof suits and lethal umbrellas to
\nlighter grenades and poisonous pens,
\nKingsman agents are supplied with
\nenough handy (if ludicrous) gadgets to
\nimpress even Desmond Llewellyn\u2019s Q
\nin the Bond films. But it is also \u201cKingsman\u2019s\u201d
\nself-awareness that sets it
\napart.<\/p>\n

At one point Colin Firth\u2019s character
\nremarks that today\u2019s spy films are no
\nfun, and later, Samuel L. Jackson\u2019s
\nValentine comments that it\u2019s the part
\nof the film where he\u2019s supposed to unveil
\nhis grand plan and kill a character
\nin some elaborate manner. \u201cBut,\u201d
\nValentine says, \u201cthis ain\u2019t that kind of
\nmovie.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s right. It\u2019s not that kind of
\nmovie at all. Truth be told, I\u2019m hardpressed
\nto describe just what kind of
\nmovie \u201cKingsman\u201d is. Other than a really
\ngood one, that is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cKingsman: The Secret Service\u201d is a love-letter to the spy genre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/367"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}