Kingsmen: Golden Circle Review – Unbridled Wild West Meets British Reserve

Kingsmen: Golden Circle, from 20th Century Fox Films and Marv Films, presents a brawling, roadhouse, wild west clash with suited British reserve for a cataclysmic explosion of gismo's, gadgets, big guns, trick roping, whiskey shooters and world class action.

Directed by  Matthew Vaughn, Kingsmen: Golden Circle stars Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Elton John, Pedro Pascal, Bruce Greenwood, Poppy Delevingne, Emily Watson, Edward Holcraft, Hanna Alstrom, Sophie Cookson, Michael Gambon, Tobi Bakare, Thomas, Turgoose, and Calvin Demba and was written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman.

Kingsmen: Golden Circle begins as newly knighted Kingsmen Eggsy, played by Taron Egerton, walks to his waiting car only to be accosted by Kingsmen reject Charlie, played by Edward Holcraft, who for some  unknown reason has been prosthetically enhanced with a mechanical arm that allows him super strength and the advantage as the two engaged in a wild death match in the back of the car.

It's an over the top kick off to the second installment showcasing the superspy tech advances in Kingsmen hardware since we last met. Mark Strong is back as Merlin, the dutiful master support staff, the actual brains, as in any organization, someone who knows the system better than anyone. And also back are Roxy, played by Sophie Cookson, the newly Knighted Kingsmen and with the death of Harry Hart, felled by the madman, billionaire Richmond Valentine.


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Eggsy has limited choices has he is being pursued and needs to ditch the car or at least get back to HQ, so with Merlin still in his ear, he drives into the lake which holds an opening to the Kingsmen's maze of tunnels.

Eggsy, no longer the spirited teen, hell bent on trouble, he is now a domesticated gentlemen living with Princess Tilde, of Sweden, played by Hanna Alstrom, who audiences will remember as having rejected the implant in the first film, and is now taking Eggsy home to meet her parents.

In the middle of dinner, during the last course, a full attack hits the Kingsmen, with all agents, homes and headquarters destroyed leaving only Eggys, who was visiting the King and Queen of Sweden.

Heading to the Headquarters, he sees a shadow emerging from the rubble, Merlin also survived. After confirming Merlin wasn't the mole that caused the breech. The two are in Doomsday Protocol which after some solid toasting to former colleagues they realize the directions which were non-existent where actually right in front of them the whole time.

Heading off to Kentucky, and the Statesmen Distilleries the two make the acquaintance of a gun-toting, highly protective and super red, Statemen Tequila, played by Channing Tatum, who lives by the shoot first ask questions later rule and our two spies find themselves restrained while Tequila plays interrogator.

Tequila, still rough around the edges uses simple methods of interrogation and when all else fails he shocks our two Kingsmen into breeching protocol as he drills down on a tender spot.

Statemen, a clandestine secret spy agency, a partner agency to the Kingsmen, unbeknownst to the other and only reveled in Doomsday protocol so the final surviving members of one or the other would know where to find help.

The Statemen, led by Champ, played by Jeff Bridges greets our two spies and offers the considerable resources available from the Statemen Distilleries.

Kingsmen: Golden Circle is a solid sequel that, from the time the first trailers and release dates were set, I wanted to see and my expectations that Kingsmen would be an entertaining, albeit cheeky and a bit brash and were definitely met.

The screenwriter team of Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaugh, who brought us the original Kingsmen: The Secret Service and X-Men Days of Future Past, are familiar with suspended reality and kicking it up a notch, and they did that here also.

From the beginning the film is a tongue-in-cheek, based on the other well dressed, ultra-suave, and multi resourceful British spy, with even more high tech gadgets and obviously as the technological enhancements range from simple voice activation to prosthetically based enhancements and even robotic dogs programmed with facial recognition and ordered to kill anyone who isn't recognized the teams have access to every built and experimental gadget available.


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As in Kingsmen past, there is a global crisis that threatened the existence of mankind. The crisis is conceived by psychopath Poppy, played by Julianne Moore, with Bruce Greenwood as President of the United States and an unrecognizable Emily Watson, as his Chief of Staff who ultimately becomes infected with the virus.

Colin Firth whom all saw shot in the first film returns to reprise his role and a favorite is phased out or so it seems. Elton John plays himself and is featured throughout. Halle Barry also shows up as Ginger, the Statesmen equivalent to Merlin.

Of course, with a film of this magnitude, one can expect fast action, suspended reality, spirited, experienced trick roping and whip cracking, gun battles, extreme violence,  both laughable and shockingly grotesque, which also is portrayed with humor, modern and futuristic weaponry and warfare.

And as we know, "Manners Maketh Man" we can expected the unexpected when our Brits meet some liquored up good ole' boys.

Kingsmen: Golden Circle is a solid, although a bit over the top, and one doesn't want to say too much of a good thing, there are some moments that once is definitely enough and the audience doesn't need a grinder redux. Maybe they are simply promoting a vegan lifestyle.

This plays however to the fact that in human nature, at times psychopaths serve up their extremes beautifully plated, perfectly complete, mouthwateringly delicious in appearance, and like the most famous fruit which eventually and directly contributes to one's own demise, psychopaths could care less whom dies or suffers and if the bearer is beautiful, all the better.

Kingsmen: Golden Circle it is entertaining, exciting, bold, and creates an ultra-violent, fun house. Even with the exaggerated scenes, the larger than life gun battles, amplified "night of the living dead" possibilities, it is a solid box office bet.

Kingsmen: Golden Circle opens in theaters everywhere September 22, 2017. See it for the fun of it.

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