Rating: R (for sequences of strong violence, language, and some sexual content)

Genre: Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Written By: Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons, Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Firth, and Taron Egerton

Runtime:  2 hr. 8 min.

Stars: ****

Based on the 2012 comic by the same name, Kingsman:The Secret Service combines the Bond stories of suave secret agents and saving the world with a transformation story from My Fair Lady. There’s no missing the well-known James Bond-esque scenes of adventure and sophistication, but the movie adds the entertaining story of a man’s attempt to become a gentleman.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn (X-Men First Class), Kingsman is described as “Vaughn’s tribute to spy movies” (empire.com). Although the story is a little far-fetched and over the top, it is fun and sometimes downright inappropriate. Heavily ridden with references to everything from My Fair Lady to Star Wars, Kingsman’s final scene is everything you’d expect from a common spy movie with a slightly ridiculous touch from the director. In classic tradition, Vaughn’s villain is defeated, the hero delivers his best one-liner, and then heads off to, I guess, rescue the princess.

Kingsman is an independent intelligence agency based out of London working as a secret service. Gary “Eggsy” Unwin’s (Taron Egerton) father was a Kingsman who died while protecting his colleague Harry Hart (Colin Firth) when Eggsy was six. As a show of gratitude Hart give Eggsy his father’s medal and tells him to call the number on the back if he ever needs help. After stealing a car Eggsy calls the number and Hart meets him soon after his release from custody. Hart convinces Eggsy to join the Kingsman training program, and just in time. Self-made billionaire and cell phone company owner Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) appears on the scene as a global threat, with biochemical warfare located in his mass-distributed cellular sim cards.

Samuel L. Jackson brings elements to his character, like a slightly offensive lisp, which make Valentine purposely laughable. Who has ever heard of a villain losing his lunch at the sight of blood? Jackson gives Valentine a Steve Jobs air, making him appear harmless for a man who is piloting a mass cell-phone homicide. Colin Firth and newcomer Taron Egerton also have a bond on screen that is unmistakable. Firth easily works through Hart’s unreadable and suave front and showcases the fun Hart has while mentoring Eggsy. Egerton brings an unmistakable charm and aspect of loyalty to Eggsy’s rough-around-the-edges facade.

Kingsman certainly isn’t a movie for everybody, and it’s definitely not a movie “for the whole family”. But with a nice blend of witty and dark humor, coupled with the classic spy story, it’s a good movie to see with friends. Although ‘safer’ than any of Vaughn’s previous movies, Kingsman is a fantastic tribute to spy movies in the same irreverent way 2010’s Kick-Ass was for the superhero genre.