We were going to race motorcycles off this ramp, but then the King called and said No!
Darn it.
The King’s Man (2021) is a chronological prequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), and is the origin story for the King’s Men, a secret organization dedicated to preserving the British monarchy. Their creation is the result of a fictional incident during World War I, involving Rasputin, Mata Hari, Archduke Ferdinand, and the Duke of Oxford’s son.
It’s not a bad story, building sympathy for characters and then killing them off, but it somehow doesn’t quite work. Good acting, nice story, but it lacks some of the panache present in Kingsman: The Secret Service. Possibly, kept in the background but present, is the fact that the main character has achieved his status not necessarily through merit, but through the ruthless acts of his ancestors, which is acknowledged – and becomes the unspoken driving force in the story.
But it’s not dealt with satisfactorily. In the end, there’s no agonizing over this unfortunate fact, and it takes the oooomph out of the story. But perhaps that won’t bother you.
In any case, the goats are the scene stealers here. The goats were charming, fabulous, and fun. Never abuse a goat might be the theme of this story.
So-so.
