KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

UK, 2017, 141 minutes, Colour.
Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Edward Holdcroft, Hannah Alstrom, Michael Gambon, Lena Endre, Pedro Pascal, Bruce Greenwood, Emily Watson, Thomas Turgoose, Calvin Demba, Keith Allen.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Kingsman was a popular and box office success right around the world. Based on comic strips, it had a particularly British flavour, enhanced by the writing team of Jane Goldman and Matthew Bourne who had worked in the previous film as well as other action adventures like Kick Ass.

While the film was particularly successful in Britain, it had an appeal in the United States and so this sequel reaches out to the Americans, incorporating them both as villains and as heroes.

There must be a very strong Colin Firth fan club in England and, perhaps, the United States. After all he was George VI in The King's Speech. However, despite his strong and gentlemanly presence as Harry in the first film, he was killed off in a rather sensational manner. Screenplay writers have a certain omnipotence so what else but to resurrect him, with a touch of the sensational, but letting him go into final action even more sensationally.

The emerging hero of the first film was a young man from a poor background who was chosen for his personality and skills, personally trained by Harry, and becoming a gentlemanly hero while working at that most elegant of British gentleman's clothes shops, Kingsman. He was played by Taron Egerton, Eggsy.

There is a slam bang opening for this sequel, gentleman Eggsy confronting a rogue former agent, Charlie (Edward Holdcroft), elaborate fights, a spectacular car chase ending up in Hyde Park and a lake, with an underwater exit, although through the sewer, with everything under the IT control of Mark Strong's Merlin, a welcome return.

But, the American connection. Julianne Moore obviously enjoys herself as the eccentric, folksy and chatty villain, the ruthless Poppy, running a drug empire from the jungles of Cambodia but having all the pop comforts of American œculture, a diner, a movie theatre, streets just like back home. And she makes a mean hamburger, especially with some of her enemies going through the mincer!. The Kingsman team suffers a great blow, everyone, including Michael Gambon, being blown up. But Merlin discovers a link to Kentucky, to a whiskey company, Statesman. And the action transfers to Kentucky. (With disputes about the British and American spellings of whiskey/whisky.)

The members of Statesman all have alcohol names, Channing Tatum being Tequila, Jeff Bridges, the boss, being Champagne, Champ for short, Pedro Pascal being Whiskey and, because she works behind the scenes, Halle Berry is only Ginger. So, a lot of action in Kentucky, especially with Whiskey who is able to confront homophobic as well as anti-British rednecks with his lassoo and whip.

But the main discovery, of course, is that Harry got a severe injury to the eye but was rescued, now suffering from amnesia and thinking he is a butterfly expert, no therapy helping until Eggsy has a bright idea and Harry recovers, though initially uncoordinated, joins in all the action, some of it very spectacular in Italy. Poppy has sold drugs around the world but has infected people so her scheme is to manufacture the antidote and exploit it, even threatening the President of the United States (Bruce Greenwood) and his chief adviser (Emily Watson). But, in a reminder of President Trump, this president is against drugs and rounds up in cages all those infected.

While the action in Italy is spectacular, especially a cable car rolling down the mountainside, the final action is in Cambodia, umbrella weapons as in the old British television series The Avengers as well as modern guns. Who should be Poppy's hostage in Cambodia but actual Elton John – it does get to do a few martial arts moves!

So, plenty of action, well-choreographed, eccentric characters, international and elaborate situations, incessant swearing as in the first film, and a happy ending that could lead, of course, to a further sequel.

1. The popularity of the original film? Continuation, characters, action, spoof? Comic strip background? Success?

2. The sequel, the past cast, Harry dying, yet now living? The British cast? Poppy and her team, the Americans in Cambodia? The American team, Kentucky, Statesman and Company? The world of drugs? The sequences in Italy? Washington DC, the president and the consequences? The musical score?

3. The stunt work, editing and pace, choreography of action?

4. The title, the shop, elegant clothes, the cover for espionage? The explosion and destruction of Kingsman? The link with Statesman? The world, the bottle of whiskey? The codename? The Knights, the drinks, wearing Kingsman clothes as battle dress and the joke with Tequila at the end, dressed like an Englishman?

5. The opening, setting the spirit, Eggsy and his clothes, coming from Kingsman, his glasses? The confrontation with Charlie, the taxi, the fights, Charlie's arm, locked in? The drive, the Wellington Memorial, Hyde Park, the water, under water, the escape, the sewer? The contacts and screens? Merlin in control?

6. Eggsy and his story, in the first film, young, trained by Harry, becoming a gentleman, his martial skills, yet his pals, their background, ordinary, the birthday party? His fiancee, Swedish royalty? Whether to commit to her on not, Kingsman rules? Issues of manners, table manners and training? The flashbacks to Harry? The dinner, Royalty, the King's questions, his earpiece, answering all the questions of general knowledge, the spy contact? Roxy? The explosions?

7. The situation, the destruction of Kingsman, Merlin and Eggsy being wary? The vault, the drink, going to Kentucky?

8. Poppy, in the jungle, the American transplant to the jungle, the diner and the American look, the cinema and its headings, the hoardings? Julianne Moore as Poppy? In herself, chatty, very American, folksy, yet ruthless? The control of the Golden Circle? Her agent, bringing Angel, Angel killing him? The mincer and the burger? Angel and the transformation?

9. The irony of Elton John being a prisoner, in the theatre, playing? The spoof of villains? Elton John and his wanting to escape, the elaborate clothes, the piano and his going into martial arts?

10. Poppy and her plan, drugs throughout the world, the rich, infecting people, creating the antidote? The challenge to the American president, his advisers, the demands?

11. Kingsman representatives going to Kentucky, the encounter with Statesman? Tequila, very American, suspicious, confronting them? Ginger and her role, information technology, yet wanting to be active? Champagne, his personality? Whiskey and his expertise?

12. The Americans, contrasting style from the British? Information and techniques?

13. Merlin, his control, guiding Eggsy, surviving? Find him, the whiskey, going to the United States? His continued help, IT control? Meeting Ginger, the connection with her?

14. Charlie, his past, the training with Kingsman, his turning? His arm and its mechanism? Working for Poppy? Fighting, in Cambodia? His girlfriend, her infection? The Glastonbury festival? Her going to Italy, the antidote, changing? Charlie and the destruction of his girlfriend? The ultimate fight against Eggsy, with his new arm?

15. Glastonbury, Whiskey and his American-style, chatting up the girlfriend? Eggsy, younger, the seduction? The fiancee, his fear about her, contacting her by phone, stopping the encounter? Her infection and his technique of infecting her?

16. Whiskey, the American bar, the rednecks, homophobic, his use of the lassoo and the whip?

17. Harry, the flashbacks, training Eggsy, the episode at the church in Kentucky, his death? The flashback to Samuel L. Jackson? The development of the screenplay, Harry being saved, the injury to his eye? Amnesia, his work with the butterflies? Therapy unable to help him? The various devices, Merlin, Eggsy? Eggsy and the dog? Harry remembering, his old self, very British? With the group but not quite coordinated?

18. Going to Italy, the beautiful scenery, the laboratory and its extensiveness? Harry waiting below, Eggsy and Whiskey going to the top? The girl, the confrontation with Charlie? Coming down, the cable car, its rolling and the old people in the resort? Harry shooting Whiskey and his suspicions?

19. Whiskey, the backup? Ginger and her criticisms of his opposition? Return to Kentucky, his recovery, his motivations, jealousy, taking the plane, confronting Poppy, the fights and like the earlier agent, going into the mincer?

20. Everybody converging on Cambodia, Eggsy and Harry? The weapons, the protective umbrella? The guns? The mines, Merlin tricking the others, remaining on the mine, singing John Denver, Country Road, his death, self-sacrifice?

21. The range of guards, the range of deaths? Elton John and his attack? His being infected, the cure, playing, success?

22. The seeming defeat, Eggsy and Charlie, Harry and the guns? Poppy, the supplying of the code, injecting her, her death? The cure for the world?

25. The happy ending, Eggsy and his wedding and all the Statesman representatives being present? The final joke with Tequila?