Kingsmen: The Golden Circle

Kingsmen: The Golden Circle                                                                       September 30, 2017

The first Kingsmen film was a sleeper hit racking up $414m in worldwide box office; a sure formula for a sequel. The original film was a fantastical secret agent film. This film goes further and is more cartoonish. The villain, Julianne Moore, has a 1960 replica “Happy Days” village in Cambodia complete with a diner and bowling alley. She dispatches a henchman into a meat grinder and makes hamburgers, something Wile e Coyote would do.  

The basic story line is that the Kingsman’s headquarters in London is destroyed. Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) go to Kentucky to get help from their American counter parts, the Statemen, who are cowboys headquartered is a whisky distillery. Code names for the Kingsmen are derived from Knights of the Round Table and their American cousins are named after liquors; Whisky, Tequila, Jack Danial’s. Jeff Bridges code name is Champagne, a name eliciting more chuckles than fear.

The marque actors: Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum and Michael Gambon have basically extended cameos.  The coming attractions oversells them. The exception is Halle Berry, Ginger Ale, the Statemen’s techie, who has a more featured role. Her character is drab and unglamorous and she has the most hideous hairdo. Her sex appeal is peeled away.

Julianne Moore plays Poppy Adams the drug lord, who infects narcotics users worldwide with a fatal poison. The role is kinder to Moore than to Halle Berry, showcasing Moore’s glowing Ivory Snow looks and bright smile. Unfortunately, her hands betray her age and are best kept out of frame.

Elton John is in the movie and mercifully plays himself. He is in full regalia with rainbow feathers, sliver platform shoes and rhinestone glasses. He is a bit overweight, as we all are, but he can still bang out the piano. In a farce, such as this film, acting is not a requirement.

A major subplot of the film is the resurrection of Harry Hart, Colin Firth, who was shot in the face point blank in the first movie. I will not say how he was revived but clearly the writers are devoid of any medical knowledge.

If you are a fan of the Kingsman or Elton John, by all means see this film. Otherwise rent the first one.