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Ralph Fiennes' solid central performance in The King's Man is done dirty by this tonally confused prequel's descent into action thriller tedium.Read critic reviews
Audience Says
The King's Man might be a little too long, but it takes the franchise in a fresh direction without losing any of the action fans are looking for.Read audience reviews
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The King's Man videos
The King's Man: Featurette- Bakewell Tart Challenge
FEATURETTE 5:43
The King's Man: Movie Clip - Think a Knife Can Beat a Bullet
CLIP 0:43
The King's Man: Featurette - The Nobleman
FEATURETTE 1:26
The King's Man: Official Rasputin Dance Video
TV SPOT 1:34
The King's Man: Final Trailer
TRAILER 1:37
The King's Man: Featurette - The Marksman, Meet Polly
As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in "The King's Man."
Rating:R (Some Sexual Material|Language|Strong/Bloody Violence)
The King's Man, set as a prequel to the Kingsman franchise, is compelling, exceptional, and enjoyable, thanks to the sterling acting chops of Ralph Fiennes. Unlike the previous fare of tightly woven action-packed spy parodies that Kingsman fans are familiar with, this prequel shifts gears into a heavier tone and theme that is grimmer and darker. This shift in tone combined with the need for greater character development unfortunately slows down the build-up of the story. The grief and grimness in the tone exposes an uncomfortable balancing act needed to bring coherence to the signature comedic heart of this franchise.
The story builds around Fiennes as the pacifist protagonist, an English gentleman who walks the corridors of power, while at the same time, has a power network of household maids, butlers and maids – his invisible secret service quite capable of breaking even the best of secret codes – a satirical best! We get served a free European history lesson as Vaughn creatively and cleverly crafts the tale around key historical figures of World War 1, complete with a buffet of antagonists: from the likes of Rasputin to even Matahari: one too many and too one-dimensional for my liking. Daniel Bruhl's talents were underutilised, and I hope he will return for a meatier role in the next one!
My only quibble is with the action sequences that needed some serious editing and the length of the film that tested my patience. Despite the uneven flow, The King's Man ranks as my no. 2 favourite of Michael Vaughn's "The Kingsman" universe: for being the heart of soul of this franchise. Go watch it, and you'll know what I mean.
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