'The King's Man' A Review

The King's Man is period action/dramedy a prequel to the Kingsman movies about the founding of that organization. Orlando(Ralph Fiennes) is a former solider come pacifist who's wife dies while on a mission for the Red Cross. As a result he is protective of his son Conrad(Harris Dickinson) but they must act when the dangers of WWI threaten.

Fiennes is a consummate actor and gives this as much commitment as Coriolanus and virtually carries the entire movie however there is only so much he can do with the overly long, tedious plotting, and mish-mash of tone. There are some inspired turns in the supporting cast- Rhys Ifans as Rasputin is delightful, Tom Hollander in a triple role, Djimon Hounsou just in general is a breathe of fresh air. But none of the performances is able to break the tedium.

The movie looks slick enough with some compelling action sequences(the Rasputin dance-fight particularly) but the tone is too disparate to come together. Given the franchise is known for its humor there is a startling lack of it here, much time is taken with historical events and context and there is a protracted WWI battle scene straight out of 1917. It can't decide if it wants to be a Kingsman movie or a WWI prestige drama, it's bizarre. Perhaps this incongruity is a result of the protracted time it had in post-production, originally slated for a 2019 release, delayed for reshoots then delayed again because of COVID. It's plain the movie has been hacked and sliced into near incomprehensibility.

Despite the best efforts of the heroic Fiennes, a mostly flat miss.

Currently in theaters coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.