'The King's Man' Review
R: Sequences of strong/bloody violence, language, and some sexual material
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 12 Minutes
Production Companies: Marv Studios, Cloudy Productions
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writers: Matthew Vaughn, Karl Gajdusek
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance
Release Date: December 22, 2021
In Theaters Only
As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King's Man.
For about six years now, Matthew Vaughn has been exclusively focused on Mark Millar’s comic book spy series Kingsman and translating it to the big screen. With films such as The Secret Service and The Golden Circle under his belt, we’re now at his third Kingsman feature, The King’s Man, which might as well be the most ambitious entry to date.
What gives this prequel a welcoming, mature, and refined edge lies within the lead, Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes), a civil war veteran-turned-aristocrat who swore a vow of pacifism long after the death of his wife. Within such a silly, violent franchise, Oxford feels like a fleshed-out human being with relatable spurts of insecurity and fear that often make you sympathize with him. Oxford is a complex individual who is as wise as he is a classy gentleman and Fiennes’ layered performance makes you root for the bloke to save the world. All he has is his only son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), who also witnessed death at a very young age, so they trauma-bond. Oxford spends the majority of his time doing his damndest to lead Conrad down the right path, as far away from war as possible, and all Conrad wants to do is serve as a soldier for his country. With Oxford being a veteran and having a nuanced perspective on patriotism, he rejects the blessing Conrad desperately wants. When the movie is focused on their dynamic, which is a major emotional anchor, it accomplishes wringing real emotions out of you.
There’s a lot of ambition from a conceptual standpoint that does a revisionist history in the same vein as the first Wonder Woman film, using the backdrop of World War I to tell a rather character-driven narrative. Vaughn delves into both the real-world facts of the spiraling drama between the rulers of England, Russia, and Germany but also puts a silly spin to it with the historical figures who play an integral role in the war. Part of the fun comes from seeing who they cast as the figures, like Tom Hollander triple billing as King George, Wilhelm II of Russia, and Tsar Nicholas II. Then there’s Rhys Ifans as Rasputin, who serves on some type of legion of doom with Daniel Brühl as Erik Jan Hanussen. At various moments, especially during the first act and the climax, Vaughn relishes his trademark Kingsman aesthetic that made me feel like a teen again (when I saw the first movie). It works best when it has the tonal cadence of the franchise: silly, absurd, stupid, and gleefully violent. The action is zany and so well constructed, but unfortunately, it peaks fairly early with Rhys Ifans’ campy portrayal of Rasputin and an incredible fight sequence that incorporates dance choreography in a high-octane fashion. It’s so exhilarating and well-directed that you just wanna stand up and cheer by the time it’s over, even though you have over an hour and forty minutes left of the picture.
The King’s Man often attempts to differentiate itself from its prior entries in tone and character but falls short of finding a good middle ground due to a major identity crisis. Right when you’re settled into the plight of the political scene of WWI, the movie is at constant war with itself, for it doesn’t know whether to commit to being a character-driven father-son tale, a campy spy thriller with the spirit of the predecessors, or a war drama. Structurally and atmospheric-wise, this is a hodgepodge of pieces taken from different puzzles that never completely click. Though Oxford is the lead, the second act shifts its focus to Conrad, who makes the tone deviate from being a Kingsman movie and transforms it into a war drama… and not an exciting one. This shit goes from being a John Glen Bond movie to being a Sam Mendes Bond movie to just becoming Sam Mendes’ 1917.
Once you’re with Conrad, you’re literally watching another movie as the political elements regarding the war, the historical figure legion of doom stuff, and Oxford’s investigation come to a complete halt. The tone starts to take itself far too seriously as it depicts the reality of war in a familiar graphic manner. I’m all for breaking from the status quo but to see straight-up realism in a Kingsman movie, especially when it’s a complete tonal shift after witnessing Rasputin doing a Russian dance and fight sequence, is baffling. Halfway through the film, I dozed off, came to, and nearly shouted, “What the hell am I even watching?!” It’s not even written well, for it takes a ton of beats from other superior war dramas and applies them to someone who was already a non-character.
Conrad is a plot device masked as a character, for he has no personality and makes the dumbest decision I think I’ve witnessed in cinema this year. This high-class 18-year-old kid is so hellbent on going to war and his dear old dad, a war veteran with a purple heart, explains to him just how grotesque and soul-sucking war is. When that doesn’t get through his thick skull, Oxford shows his son the independent organization he banded with his house servants. They all go on a mission together, Oxford breaks his vow of pacifism, they have a heart-to-heart, and all Conrad still wants to do is go to war. His dad made him a spy, which is exceedingly cooler than being a soldier, and he still wanted to go to war. He’s such a weak character and the way he’s written brings the movie down because he’s only a device rather than a person, unlike his three-dimensional daddy. Because Conrad is so lame, the prolonged second act comes off as dull. As you’re trudging through the trenches with Conrad, you feel the slow pacing creep up on you, making you wanna fast forward to the good stuff, which, oof… doesn’t happen for a while.
Lately in cinema actor Djimon Hounsou has only been given the short end of the stick. Most of the time he’s given a good 10-15 minutes of screentime and then ends up biting the dust. I’m still so mad about him being in A Quiet Place Part II for 5 minutes and then dying. I’m shell-shocked that this is the first movie in a long time to give Djimon Hounsou the flowers he deserves. He shines as Oxford’s servant/right-hand man Shola. He’s a charming and skillful badass who gets many spotlight moments to be an action star. I loved the relationship he shared with the family as an uncle of sorts to Conrad and Oxford’s best friend. By the end, Matthew Vaughn did something that most Hollywood movies don’t do for him: let him live.
As aforementioned, there was a clear ambition to make this a different kind of Kingsman movie, but its weak screenplay and jumbled style prevented it from being better. Vaughn tries to deviate away from the identity that fans of the franchise came to expect for so long, but it alienates them and leaves them quite unfulfilled when the final reel ends. The King’s Man gives a noble effort to be more refined than its predecessor, but due to its identity crisis, it leaves much to be desired.
