Kingsman: The Golden Circle puts style over substance abuse

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      Starring Taron Egerton. Rated 14A

      Super-spy action flick Kingsman: The Secret Service was a sleeper hit, unexpectedly netting millions at the box office on both sides of the Atlantic. With its brash, tongue-in-cheek humour riffing on everything from upper-class British suits to James Bond’s ridiculous gadgets, the movie established itself as a slick, unique take on the secret-agent genre that resonated with the zeitgeist. The sequel? Not quite so much.

      For the most part, the original’s charm is present in spades in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Following council-estate-lad-turned-gentleman Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) as he navigates a doomsday scenario that leads him and fellow agent Merlin (Mark Strong, Sherlock Holmes) to the States, the movie is founded on choreographed, slo-mo fight scenes that are both laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly creative. With the film focusing on poking fun at stereotypes, the introduction of a sister top-secret intelligence agency—straight-shooting U.S. southerners the Statesmen—is a welcome addition to the comedy, with director Matthew Vaughn (X Men: First Class) pitching perfectly-timed lasso and chewing-tobacco jokes.

      The movie stumbles, however, with its political jibes. While taking aim at a bullish U.S. president is safe grounds for satire, the film’s focus on the "War on Drugs" is not. Oscar-winner Julianne Moore’s Americana-loving villain Poppy runs a worldwide cartel that pedals all kinds of narcotics, and corrupts those substances with a poison that leads to a blue rash and eye-popping death. While the opioid crisis might not have yet hit Britain, it’s already been declared a public health emergency in Kentucky—home of the fictional Statesmen—where fentanyl-tainted street drugs kill hundreds. Hyperbolic humour might be Kingsman’s calling card, but the decision to write a plot that echoes a heartbreaking real-life disaster seems more than a little crass.

      Looking past its social tonedeafness, however, there’s plenty for fans of the original to enjoy. Featuring even more ludicrous technology innovations and ultraviolence than the first—plus a bizarre star cameo from Elton John doing karate in a rainbow chicken outfit—the movie somehow manages to push the envelope even further with its gimmicks and gags.

      Kingsman: The Golden Circle official trailer

      Follow Kate Wilson on Twitter @KateWilsonSays

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