"Kingsman: The Secret Service" brings back a long-lost yet fundamental cinematic experience for audiences: pure entertainment. This cinematic experience is built on various elements, from storytelling to character development, coupled with trendy and innovative "technical martial arts" action scenes, all packaged in an elegant gentleman's style, outlining the most basic framework of the film. As an adaptation of a comic book, the film's style has to be exaggerated; with a madman-like villain, the film's story has to be weak; and with Colin Firth's gentlemanly image, the film's visuals have to be high. A typical British director, Matthew Vaughn, must maintain the film's pace and plot. If someone asks how to kill elegantly, "Kingsman: The Secret Service" is the answer.
The Era of Stylish Spy Movies
In reality, actual spies are not as elegant and gentlemanly as James Bond, who, in "GoldenEye," drives a tank through the streets and still manages to keep his suit clean, or who, in "The World Is Not Enough," dives underwater while tidying his tie. Real-life spies live in constant danger, on edge, unable to appear conspicuous even among crowds to maintain their cover. Even their families sometimes suffer for their misfortune, as getting caught means certain death.
The "007" series set a standard for spy movies with its consistent gentlemanly style and calm behavior, creating a model many films followed. Spy films of that era almost always featured a handsome and elegant agent. Thus, if one wanted to see spies on the big screen, one watched the "007" series; if one wanted to see real-life spies, one watched Steven Spielberg's "Munich," where most spies were far from glamorous.

However, times have changed. The 007-style spy movies have become a thing of the past. Today, in the realm of similar genres on the big screen, the "The Bourne Identity" and "Taken" styles of spy films prevail, with more complex characters, straightforward stories and pacing, sharp editing, and action designs emphasizing "one-step, one kill." Unlike James Bond, Bourne and Bryan Mills dispatch their enemies without fuss, making each move lethal and satisfying. As the "007" movies started leaning towards a cold, artsy, thriller direction, "Kingsman: The Secret Service," based on a comic book, takes audiences back to the stylish era of spy movies.
The Retro Three-Piece Suit
Sometimes, the popularity of genre films can be cyclical, much like the fashion trends in our daily lives. What's trendy today might lose its appeal after a few years, only to come back again, often labeled as "retro." Movies are no exception. For instance, the era of American action movies dominated for over a decade but was replaced by superhero movies, which might lose steam in a few years. Similarly, the popular Westerns in the 1950s to 1970s faded away. Still, they saw a revival with films like "True Grit" and "Django Unchained."

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" represents the retro spy film model, deliberately magnifying this style. Every character in the film is impeccably styled in the image of a classic gentleman. The gentleman's three-piece suit, complete with a suit, waistcoat, hat, and umbrella, is the epitome of style. The spy's three-piece suit includes various gadgets like pens, lapel pins, watches, and blade shoes, all of which are standard. The 007 movies were criticized for the stylized combination of gentleman and spy gadgets, which felt disconnected from reality. "Kingsman: The Secret Service," on the other hand, deliberately pursues this sense of stylization, which can be seen as either a tribute to old-school spy films or a pursuit of a "retro trend" in spy movie style.
Technical Flows and Gun Kata
What's more important is that "Kingsman: The Secret Service" adopts the "007" format and seeks a straightforward and flashy style in action handling, which is in line with the current trend of action movies focusing on "TKO."
In today's popular action films, led by "The Bourne Identity" and "Taken," action designs are simple and direct, with intense editing and action choreography. Rather than the brute force fighting style of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, these films emphasize a "TKO" to draw more attention. This trend reflects the fatigue caused by the old-school action movie's straightforward explosion-filled aesthetics, necessitating a new approach.

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" adopts this "TKO" approach with its straightforward and flashy action style. The film incorporates the "Gun Kata" action style, a fighting method from the movie "Equilibrium," which involves close-quarters combat with firearms, posing, and moves, with characters flipping and dodging bullets at close range, using guns and bullets instead of cold weapons. The action is bold and feels quite cartoonish. "Kingsman: The Secret Service" utilizes this "Gun Kata" action style, combined with a "TKO" approach to action, making it highly entertaining.
Moreover, these elements align perfectly with the film's style, which is far from "down-to-earth." In short, "Kingsman: The Secret Service" deliberately pursues the retro spy film model, coupled with a highly glamorous action style, creating a product that combines "retro and modern."
Matthew Vaughn
The director of this film, Matthew Vaughn, is a typical British director. In contrast to traditional Hollywood directors, British directors excel in plot and pacing, creating tension in storytelling. They need to be more skilled at independent character development. For example, Mike Newell's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" had a powerful plot, making it one of the best among the "Harry Potter" movies, but the character development was weak. This characteristic was also evident in his later work, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." There are also directors like Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Ridley Scott ("Alien"), Guy Ritchie ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"), and Duncan Jones ("Source Code"), whose movies shine in plot, storytelling, and pacing, using characters to enhance the plot, in contrast to Hollywood directors who use characters to shape the story.

Matthew Vaughn is similar, but what sets him apart is his ability to package characters using plot and storytelling. He uses all the resources of the film to serve the characters. For example, in "Kick-Ass," Hit-Girl's character, despite being flat beyond showing off, becomes exceptional in the plot setting. The contrast between an ordinary man and an underage killer and his deadly action skills make this character stand out.
"Kingsman: The Secret Service" follows a similar pattern. The characters, played by Colin Firth and Taron Egerton, are relatively flat. Still, the film uses a lot of story and form to serve the characters, making Colin Firth extremely handsome and deeply ingrained in gentlemanly style, followed by Taron Egerton, who is almost a replica of the former. However, the transformation of this character is not adequately prepared, just like in Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class," where Professor X and Magneto's characters lacked depth in the story but had cohesive and thought-provoking qualities.

The pacing of this film is fantastic, keeping the audience glued to the big screen. In turn, the film doesn't attempt to be too "profound." It's more like it didn't intend to be as "meaningful" because the plot is straightforward. Therefore, the film doesn't delve into philosophical concepts that might feel tedious, nor does it become shallow popcorn entertainment. In this aspect, the film achieves a double purpose, allowing the audience to focus on the story's pace and character style while overlooking the plot.
Gentlemanly Humor
As a work where form often outweighs content, "Kingsman: The Secret Service" must have a strong sense of style, and the film's gentlemanly style is ingrained. The characters' appearances and costumes are like a retro British fashion show.
Famous fashion designer Arianne Phillips is responsible for tailored velvet and wool suits, Oxford shoes, Bremont custom watches, George Cleverley Goodyear-welted shoes, Turnbull & Asser pajamas and suits, Drake's silk ties, Mackintosh waxed jackets, Swaine Adeney Brigg umbrellas, and briefcases, and more. It's like a men's department store that blends clothing with everyday items. As the film's flagship British style, the villain, who is a big boss from America, takes a hip-hop route.
Moreover, the film's advertisements are very interesting and seamlessly integrated into the plot, unlike the forced product placements in some domestic films. For instance, a McDonald's advertisement appears during a confrontation between Colin Firth and the main villain, symbolizing the underlying tension between the two sides while adding a humorous touch.
The British humor in the film is very effective, with many humorous dialogues incorporating cultural references. For example, the scene referencing "My Fair Lady" and "Pretty Woman," both films featuring a storyline where the female lead transforms into a lady, is delivered by Colin Firth's character to mock the male lead.
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