"Our enemies think we are gentlemen, but reputation is what people think of you. Character is what you are."
I'm not sure anyone was crying out for a prequel to the Kingsman films but we've been given one anyway. Other than the ending setting up the organisation we've seen in the other films though this has pretty limited connections to the other films.
I quite liked the plot of this film and thought it was actually quite a clever alternative history. A mysterious Scot wants to bring down England so works to start the First World War by assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand. With henchmen at the sides of the leaders of the global powers, including Rasputin, the plan is to make England lose the war by having Russia pull out and preventing America from joining.
I really liked this as an alternate history and it was done well with the way major events that happened in reality still happen but the behind doors stuff is different. For a film which has a noble as it's hero it's pleasingly critical of British colonialism and even opens with a British led concentration camp during the Boer War. It also treats the First World War with the respect the soldiers that fought in it deserve, showing how they were let down by the people they were fighting for and showing the utter horror of it all.
Unfortunately I found the finale of the film somewhat underwhelming as Orlando infiltrates the Bond villain-esque lair and discovers the identity of the Scotsman behind it all. It's pretty small scale compared to what precedes it and I preferred the Scotsman being anonymous because his true identity didn't make a great deal of sense to me.
Orlando (Ralph Fiennes) is an interesting lead. He's still the gentleman lead that we'd expect from the Kingsman films but he's actually a pacifist and it takes some time before he actually breaks into action. He's overly-protective of his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) and refuses to let him enlist in the army. He felt like a much more well-rounded and interesting character than we've seen from this franchise before.
Sadly few other characters get much of a look in even if they are well cast. Djimon Hounsou is great at tough valet Shola and Gemma Arterton is so much fun as super-spy housemaid Polly but both are side-lined for most of the film. Tom Hollander has a triple role as cousins King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas but the person who is clearly having the most fun is Rhys Ifans who gives a crazed performance as Rasputin.
On the whole, I really enjoyed the film and I think it is my favourtie of the franchise. The tone is much less cynical and crude than the modern-set films whilst still keeping the heightened action and warm characters. It nicely sets up a Second World War based sequel which would is an interesting prospect.
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