The King’s Man (2021)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Where to watch: HBO Max

By Mallory Timbrook

This movie is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not really, but I still really enjoyed it. The combination of Ralph Fiennes (he played Voldemort, but don’t worry, he has a nose in this movie), Gemma Arterton, and Djimon Hounsou is a hit. Their chemistry together is outstanding. This film was considered a “box office bomb,” but I beg to differ.

You know it will be good as the prequel to the Kingsmen film series. It’s a spy film set during World War I, so there’s lots of action. The main cast is English (I love those accents), so unlike most war films we’re familiar with, this is not from the American point of view. The King’s Man puts a fictionalized spin on the events leading up to WWI, and I love it. We get to see Rasputin, who has a very interesting Russian accent, a mysterious Scottish fellow who is the film’s main baddie, and an infamous woman named Mata Hari, who seduced Woodrow Wilson. 

The film’s main star is supposed to be Ralph Fiennes’s character, the Duke of Oxford, and his band of merry heroes, Rasputin steals the show. With his vulgar language, (bad) Russian accent, and singing and dancing skills, the film should be renamed Rasputin: Not a King’s Man. The fight scene between Oxford and Rasputin should’ve won an award for best fight. It was that good. The music during the scene was absolute perfection. However, it was not as perfect as the amazingly wonderful Nanny Polly, who was an absolute queen. She took feminism and female empowerment to a new level. I want to be her when I grow up. 

The King’s Man is a wonderful film with an all-star cast. Unfortunately, it didn’t make as big a splash as the first two Kingsmen films, but there are still talks of a sequel. Hopefully, a sequel will be created so the franchise can continue.