By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
For me, the first two Kingsman movies, “ Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014) and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (2017) served up heaping, healthy doses of mindless fun and hilarity.
This third installment
“The King’s Man,” not so much which is a bit of a surprise since
Matthew Vaughn directed and co-wrote this one as well as the others. “The King’s Man” is a prequel that is set a century prior to the first movie and explains--rather tediously-- the emergence of the Kingsman spy agency.
Ralph Fiennes co-executive produced the film and stars in it as English nobleman Duke Orlando Oxford. He is devastated when his wife Emily (Alexandra Maria Lara, “Daughters”) is killed. He vows to uphold her dying wish to keep their son Conrad (Harris Dickinson “The Souvenir: Part II”) from going to war, although Conrad wants to show his allegiance, courage, and willingness to fight in the Royal Army.
His father believes Conrad would be better suited working with him, his bodyguard Shola (the always reliable Djimon Hounsou, “A Quiet Place II”) and housekeeper turned secret agent, Polly Wilkins (Gemma Arterton, “Summerland”).
The “Duke” is bent on preventing the looming war in Europe (1914) which we are told has been brought on by three feuding royal cousins who are the grandchildren of Queen Victoria: King George V of the United Kingdom, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. All three characters are played by Tom Hollander (TV’s “Family Guy”).
“The King’s Man” shifts in style and tone and features some bits of its old school silliness with scenes involving several famous characters such as Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (Ron Cook, “18% Grey”), British war minister Herbert Kitchener (Charles Dance, TV’s “The Crown”) and Grigori Rasputin, an adviser to Czar Nicholas II, (a wildly made-up Rhys Ifans, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”). Rasputin is determined to bring down the British Empire.
The movie’s mix of serious drama and absurd comedy just doesn’t fly and neither does “The King’s Man” 131 minutes run time. There are a number of movies out now during the Christmas holiday weekend that are worthy of your time, but “The King’s Man” isn’t a crowning achievement and doesn’t quite make the cut.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"THE KING'S MAN"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.