At Your Service: Review of Kingsman

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Director: Matthew Vaughn

By Alex Watson

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a certainly a movie that provides fun, its just a shame similar focus wasn't given to its story. While Matthew Vaughn's swift style gives the movie a coat of gloss, underneath it feels like an incomplete portrait. Saddled with numerous plot holes and a pretty laughable villain, this second instalment tries too much into one movie. Although it recaptures some of the spirit of its predecessor, Vaughn pushes things a step too far.

Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is now a fully fledged member of the Kingsman. However, one day his entire organisation is literally blown to pieces by drug baroness Poppy Fields (Julianne Moore) leaving only Eggsy and mentor Merlin (Mark Strong) as survivors. Desperate to stay alive they make contact with US affiliate Statesman led by Champagne (Jeff Bridges).

The first Kingsman movie was a retread of a diamond in the rough coming good. Kingsman: The Golden Circle on paper seems like as fun of an experience, but no amount of finesse can disguise the flaws. The main problem seems to come down to the direction of the story. Having this picture as a straight up fight between Golden Circle and Kingsman would have made a more concise effort. Things start heroically with a thrilling duel inside a taxi speeding through London. Sadly Vaughn seems to lose his picture in numerous and unnecessary subplots. The first concerning Eggsy's unconvincing romance with his hookup from the last movie, Princess Tilde (Hanna Alstrom) which just gives the story deadweight. Then there's the return of Harry Hart (Colin Firth)- now an amnesiac who believes he's his former before Kingsmen self. The explanation for his magical reappearance while test even the biggest Kingsmen fan.  His road to recovery should have been one of the main devices, instead, he's left simmer on the back burner.

Including sister agency Statesman (known for their whiskey) adds little to the movie's story. Head honcho Champagne (or Champ to everyone else) is a good ole southern boy but is only wheeled out for group meet and greets. Likewise, Channing Tatum's Tequila who gets precisely zero to do other than a couple of brief scenes. Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) is the US equivalent of Merlin so spends most of her time looking at computer screens. There are some fine scenes with the underrated Pedro Pascal as Whiskey- a lasso carrying agent whose moral compass seems unclear. Vaughn's command of the action sequence is a hit and miss affair. While he does a manage a joyous finale shootout, there is also an overblown and frankly ludicrous scene set on a cable car. This instalment doesn't seem to know where to set the limits, though you can tell Vaughn is having a blast directing this.

The real weak link in Kingsman: The Golden Circle comes from its poor villain. Poppy is a forever peppy international drug dealer who spends the majority of her time behind a counter at her diner styled hideout. Given little presence onscreen other than looking like a drug-dealing version of Martha Stewart, Vaughn invests little in the villain stakes. Elton John in a hilarious extended has far more impact and is given an impressive array of fancy costumes. Plus the idea of Poppy having a pair of murderous robot dogs will make anyone squirm. It's a real mystery how this sequel could have all the ingredients for success but still end up burning the cakes?

Taron Egerton gives things his best shot and as usual, he has the charisma to pull off this character. Asking him to go deeper is where his performance unravels and Egerton struggles to find the romantic side of the character. Colin Firth is completely wasted on his return. So important first time out, in this instalment it feels like a misstep to resurrect this character. The real hero of Golden Circle is Mark Strong's Merlin. Coming off as the real brain of the organization, this time he is given sufficient screen time. In one particularly potent moment, Strong firmly stamps his important on this sequel. A-listers Bridges, Tatum and Moore are all cast in decidedly underwhelming and thankless roles that require little outside of showing up. With all this supporting talent on display, why were they not given meatier roles?

Kingsman: The Golden Circle will go down as one of the more disappointing sequels we will see in 2017. Although I guarantee you will tear up each time you hear 'Country Roads' by John Denver afterwards.

This New Day: Review of Before I Go To Sleep

Before I Go To Sleep

Director: Rowan Joffe

By Alex Watson

It is unimaginable to consider forgetting your entire life, the loving memories of people that we have known over time are the ones we treasure most. This idea has been explored in cinema before as individual attempt to piece their existence back to together. Rowan Joffe this week gives us his demonstration of a woman attempting to shape her memory once again but forever finding horrific clues in his adaptation of S. J. Watson's novel Before I Go To Sleep.

Since a terrible accident 10 years previously, each morning Christine Lucas (Nicole Kidman) wakes up with no memories of her prior life and has to be reminded by her husband Ben (Colin Firth) of the last decade. But one morning she gets a call from neurosurgeon Dr Nasch (Mark Strong) who has apparently been treating her. Slowly Christine begins to realize that her past maybe more surrounded in secrecy than she realizes.

Before I Go To Sleep is a thriller than despite some neat visual touches by director Rowan Joffe fails to break any new ground. This whole idea of amnesia and someone having to patch the cracks together has been done to death before, Joffe's strives to be better than its finished product- but you can't escape that this is more or less an British attempt at making the new Memento! Initially the mounting suspicions provide some decent early tension, but this soon dissolves into your standard friday night thriller.

From the outset there is a lack of suspense surrounding events and neither Joffe or the talented cast can ignite the spark that is badly needed. Each morning when Christine's memory empties yet again, we do wonder what each new day will bring as the clues become more ominous. As a central character, Christine is a vulnerable and lovable soul, but she is also a rather bland one that fails to raise any kind of significant characterization. Her husband Ben and the seemingly well intentioned Dr Nasch make for interesting male sparring partners and provide some nervous yet loving moments.

Sadly even though the guessing game is at times a moderately entertaining one, Before I Go To Sleep can't recover what is undoubtedly a predictable and rather flat conclusion. After coming on this journey we are given the ending that in our minds we probably guessed from the moment that she woke up! Joffe is a talented director and is showing signs of his father Roland's early promise but he will need to raise his game about average thrillers like this to be effective.

Nicole Kidman's performance is one firing element of the movie and as Christine she brings about a great sense of fragility. With her crystal blue and permanently suspecting eyes, Kidman demonstrates her ability to elevate beige characters to an acceptable level. Colin Firth and Mark Strong are both compelling in their roles but are not given nearly enough decent material to work with. Strong in particular is stranded as the confidante and is required to do little other than sound reassuring throughout.

Sadly despite its yearning to be something outside the box, Before I Go To Sleep is left with a distinctly ordinary feeling to it. Joffe may one day pull something remarkable out of the hat, but it will not be with this piece.