DVD Review: The King's Man

The King’s Man

(DVD King’s)

 

The first two films of the Kingsman saga — Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) were prime examples of stylish violence and cheeky humor in cinema. Based on a series of graphic novels by Mark Millar, those films captured the style and tone of the comic books very well.

 

Then came The King’s Man (2021), a prequel movie that explores how the Kingsman organization was first established in the early decades of the 20th century. While there’s a certain amount of violent action, and it still follows the “stylized” look of the action in the earlier two films, it felt like there was a lot more serious drama in this one.

 

Ralph Fiennes plays Orlando Oxford, Gemma Arterton and Djimon Hounsou play Oxford’s partners in spycraft, Polly and Shola. All turn in good performances, as does Harris Dickerson as Oxford’s son Conrad, and Charles Dance as Kitchener. But the most memorable (and over-the-top) performance is Rhys Ifans as Grigori Rasputin, the “mad monk” of history, turned into a supernatural supervillain in this story. I would have never thought of Ralph Fiennes as an action hero (especially at this stage in his career), but then I wouldn’t have thought of Liam Neeson in that vein, and he continues to do a never-ending series of action films.

 

The story doesn’t really hold together all that well, and there are moments that it is hard to suspend your sense of disbelief, but the lush visuals, spectacular stunts and special effects usually make up for it. There isn’t quite as much dark humor as there was in the earlier two films, but if you feel invested in the world of the Kingsman films, I felt The King’s Man to be a worthy addition.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Kingsman: The Secret Service, or Kingsman: The Golden Circle.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official The King’s Man Facebook page )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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