KICK-ASS review
Written by: Mark Millar, Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Superhero, action, comedy, drama, crime
I’ve been working on this review for a day or two now, trying not to get it online too quickly and have it rushed. Usually after I see a new film and decide to write a review I’ve only been out of the cinema for an hour at most before it’s written and posted. That pretty much always results in a poor effort where I don’t explain myself or the film very well and I either gush or complain without any clear thoughts. I wanted to make sure that my review of Kick-Ass was better because the film deserves better.
It’s also worth noting that I was in a screening with four kids (10 and under) and a mother who wouldn’t shut them up. I was distracted by them the entire film and I still enjoyed the hell out of Kick-Ass. If anything illustrates how good a film it is that does. And by the way, what kind of irresponsible parent takes a 10-year-old kid to see Kick-Ass? What makes things worse is she wasn’t the only one. There were a bunch of parents with young kids at my screening. I’m talking in the 7-10 range. Who can possibly think that’s alright? And even if they were genuinely mistaken about the tone of the film (even though here in Oz it’s rated MA15+ meaning anyone under 15 has to be with a guardian), the language starts up almost immediately. If you’re any kind of responsible adult you take your kids and leave. You don’t stick around and let your kids listen to 2 hours of f-bombs, motherfuckers, and cunts. God damn that kind of parenting really pisses me off.
Anyway, onto the film.
As most will know it’s about a guy, Dave, who one day decides to put on a costume and become a superhero. Along the way he discovers that he’s not the only regular Joe who does this. His actions lead him to draw the attention of bad ass mob boss Frank D’Amico.
I’ll get this out of the way early, Kick-Ass is bloody amazing. It’s just about the most perfectly constructed and paced superhero deconstruction flick you could possibly ask for that not only breaks down the superhero genre but somehow manages to turn into a full-fledged superhero movie itself about 2/3rds through. It’s easily the #1 movie I’ve seen in 2010 and is almost certain to be in the top 3 by the end of they year. That being said, every review of the film (and mine is no different) will focus on the jawdropping performance of Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl. I’ve been a fan of Moretz since I first saw her in an episode of My Name Is Earl. Now that was always an average show but she elevated her particular episode way above anything else that show accomplished, and I remember watching it and just being amazed at how effortlessly charming she was. This is an 8-year-old girl I’m talking about. Needless to say, when I found out she was cast as Hit Girl I was pretty damn happy. Everyone is strong in the film but Moretz is gonna be the clear favourite amongst viewers. The action and fight scenes, the language, the attitude and the acting all combine to make her the star of the film. There’s no two ways about it. The good things I’ve heard about the screenplay Mixtape and the rumour that Moretz will be cast in the lead only have me more excited about the amount of work she’s getting. I haven’t been this excited about the talent of a young actor/actress since I saw Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire.
Right up there with Chloe Moretz is Nicolas Cage, a guy who’s been very hit or miss in recent years. Despite the amazing Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (which was seemingly tailor written with his manic performance in mind) he hasn’t done anything particularly noteworthy in years. That all changes with Kick-Ass. His awkward humour “He should call himself Ass Kick”, the delivery of his lines, and that amazing fight scene where he takes apart all the gangsters by himself. Wow man, he may never have been better. Add to all that some great chemistry between him and Moretz and the fact that his performance is for once not too manic, and he clearly shines. It’s just a shame that he won’t be reprising the role in the almost certain sequel.
As for the bad guy, after his performance in Sherlock Holmes, Mark Strong once again does an exceptional job as the guy you love to hate. His whole demeanor is powerful and menacing, and I couldn’t help but cheer a little when he got out of his car after seeing Kick-Ass and delivers one almighty roundhouse to back of the guys head. And when he shot the witness to the attack in the back when he tried to run away a little smile crept across my face. The ability to be intimidating and authoritative but also funny and charming isn’t any easy thing to do, but Mark Strong does it comfortably. There’s no doubt that Mark Strong is gonna become the go-to actor for portraying bad guys.
Not to be forgotten in all this is Christopher Mintz-Plasse who proves that he’s not just a one hit wonder with Superbad. Here he plays the son of a mob boss who wants to take part in the family business. He’s not a good guy. And it’s amazing how completely you forget that he’s McLovin’ when you see him in Kick-Ass. Mintz-Plasse is a guy I thought was forever gonna be McLovin’, just like Seann William Scott will always be Stifler, but I seriously never even though of Superbad the entire time I was watching Kick-Ass. Not once. That’s how good Mintz-Plasse was as Chris D’Amico/Red Mist. He was funny, cool and ever so slightly unhinged and I have to admit, way way better than I thought he would be.
In all my raving about Moretz, Cage, Strong and Mintz-Plasse you might think I’ve forgotten about the lead guy, Aaron Johnson, but that’s only because of the amazing performances of those already mentioned. Aaron Johnson is an unknown to me. I’ve never seen him in anything, even though I’m kinda interested in seeing Nowhere Boy, but like everyone else in Kick-Ass he does an outstanding job. Mixing some great teen angst with comedy, action, emotion and attitude he’s great as the title character. What’s more, his character really develops as the film progresses and he evolves into a much stronger person because of everything he goes through. You can really see Dave’s confidence grow throughout the film, especially after he outs himself to Katie. I have to say that his performance didn’t knock me out because I didn’t know what to expect from him or the character. He really just comes across as an average teenage guy and I don’t think there could be a bigger compliment for Johnson than that. I mean, that’s who he’s playing, an average guy who one day decides to put on a costume and fight crime. He made me believe he was that guy completely and he did an impressive job doing it.
As for the fringe players, Lyndsy Fonseca, Clark Duke and Evan Peters are also all superb. Duke and Peters playing Dave’s friends provide great comic relief, I mean REALLY GREAT comic relief, but it never seems forced or out of place like the filmmakers are trying to break the tension. It’s just two guys busting the balls of a friend, ragging on him because the girl he likes thinks he’s gay, or that he got his ass kicked and now they can hit him with shit and he doesn’t feel it. It’s the kind of stuff that any one of us would do to our friends. It doesn’t happen too often in films that the designated comic relief is not only seriously funny but also true to life, but like everyone else involved with Kick-Ass, Clark Duke and Evan Peters do a truly fantastic job in their roles and it’s another reason why Kick-Ass is so damn great.
Last but not least is the love interest in the whole affair, Katie, played by Lyndsy Fonseca. My only exposure to Fonseca has been through her tiny role as one of Ted’s kids on How I Met Your Mother, hardly a role that could give me any indication of her talent, but like everyone I’ve already mentioned she seems to be perfect in her role. She’s obviously smoking hot, but she was also pretty funny on occasion, and very good in that emotional scene when she’s watching Kick-Ass getting beaten. Her character also provides the opportunity for Dave to meet Hit Girl and Big Daddy and it’s this course of action which sets the major events of the film into motion. And just like Dave, Katie evolves throughout the film thanks to her developing relationship with Dave. It’s all very well done and completely genuine. Especially when Dave admits everything to her in her bedroom. That was a beautifully constructed and acted scene.
Now that I’ve gone over all the major players in the film it’s worth noting just how fantastic the soundtrack throughout the whole thing is. I was constantly struck by the great use of music during Kick-Ass and when there isn’t the most perfect song blaring over the action there are other methods used to suck you in. Like when the lights go out during the execution scene and there’s this rhythmic pounding of bass as the tension builds. It’s little things like that which really add to the awesomeness of Kick-Ass. Stuff that could never (or should never) be in a script but which a talented director will implement to make the viewing experience so much more rewarding. And Kick-Ass is rewarding. It plays to all our desires. It’s equal parts funny, violent, charming, endearing, emotional and genuine, and it’s absolutely not to be missed.
RATING: 10/10
CONCLUSION
I was gonna give Kick-Ass 9.5/10 simply to allow room for improvement in the almost inevitable sequel but when I actually thought about it I couldn’t come up with any areas which could be improved. That’s how good it is. To say that a movie geek like me couldn’t come up with anything to be improved is probably the strongest indicator of how truly stupendous Kick-Ass is.
