Booted and suited.
With Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the sequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, director Matthew Vaughn has once again tailored a film that’s an outlandish mix of over-the-top action, subversive social commentary, and oddly sweet character dynamics. As absurd, ultra-violent, and darkly humorous as it can get, The Golden Circle remembers that its heart and humor comes from remaining emotionally invested in its endearing protagonists.
The Golden Circle fearlessly lays waste to much of what was so precisely established in the first film as the Kingsman organization comes under attack from a mysterious drug cartel. After Eggsy's (Taron Egerton) still relatively new world is violently turned upside down he, along with his tech guru Merlin, must seek aid from the Kingsman’s American counterparts, the Statesman. Along the way, Eggsy is shocked to discover that his Kingsman mentor Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is, in fact, still alive albeit not quite his old self.
As an action film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle does not disappoint. From its opening gonzo car chase through London to its Bond-style alpine fight scene to its delirious final assault on the villains, the hyperbolic action sequences are as breathless, acrobatic, and in-your-face as the original’s. But, as with the first film, the action is in service of a darkly funny, socially conscious story about a young man’s (wild) coming-of-age journey. Rather than rehashing the arc of the first film, the sequel wisely has Eggsy faced with learning new lessons instead as he struggles to balance his duties as a Kingsman with his relationship with his beloved Princess Tilde (Hanna Alström).
The first film was marked by its criticism of the British class system. In The Golden Circle, the villain’s scheme serves as a means to illustrate how drug use is the great class equalizer, something that affects people of all walks of life. To explain further would be too much of a spoiler, but suffice to say this film vilifies those who would demonize drug users even as it also awkwardly states that people shouldn’t do drugs.
The sequel follows the first film’s tongue-in-cheek exploration of Britishness with a rowdy, rousing take on America that generates plenty laughs and culture-clash gags. From their Wild West-style weaponry to their bourbon distillery headquarters, the Statesman prove an amusing exaggeration of the frontier justice warrior image America often projects to the world. The Statesman are a less refined (but notably more diverse) group than the Kingsman, marked by their cowboy swagger and rough-and-tumble methods. A key piece of music – a bagpipe rendition of John Denver's "Country Roads" – is aptly symbolic of the sequel’s clever fusion of British and American cultures.
The Golden Circle’s satirical take on America extends to its villain, Poppy (Julianne Moore), whose cheery, ‘50s TV mom demeanor barely masks her ruthlessness as the world's most secretive, powerful drug cartel leader. Poppy lives among the ruins in a faraway jungle which she's transformed into "Poppy Land." She grew up steeped in Fifties nostalgia -- Grease, American Graffiti, Happy Days -- so the structures within Poppy Land reflect the Americana of the Eisenhower-Elvis era. Poppy’s sunny optimism subversively needles America’s storied “can-do” spirit and relentless, capitalist drive by framing it within her vast criminal enterprise.
Moore, by far, gives the most colorful performance in the film, stealing every scene she’s in. Egerton, meanwhile, continues to prove himself a winning screen presence, Colin Firth shines in this more vulnerable portrait of Harry, and Mark Strong scores some very memorable moments as Merlin. As for the Statesman, Channing Tatum isn't in the movie too much as Agent Tequila, but he's great fun whenever he does show up. Pedro Pascal is the real standout amongst the Statesman as the whip-wielding Agent Whiskey, while Halle Berry is sweet albeit a bit underserved as Ginger Ale, the American answer to Merlin. Jeff Bridges’ turn as Statesman chief Champagne is a bit of a disappointment as it’s mostly an extended cameo where he parodies his own gruff cowboy persona from his past films.
Finally, it should be noted the Kingsman films are nothing if not self-aware, and The Golden Circle appears to want to atone for the ending of The Secret Service, which was widely criticized as being needlessly puerile and sexist in making Tilde the literal butt of a crude joke. The sequel has a similarly sexual but comedic scene involving a different female character that, rather than treating this particular woman so flippantly, instead results in consequences that must be dealt with. It was a smart call.
The Verdict
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is as cheeky, cartoonish, and crazy as its predecessor, but it’s also commendably unafraid to demolish what had come before it if it’s in service of the story. The new dynamic between Eggsy and his team is great, and the Statesman prove amusing counterparts to these gentlemen spies from across the pond.
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