Film: The King's Man

For last Sunday, I was thinking of The King's Man. Set in the early years of the 20th century, this is the most stylish of spy dramas - a kind of early James Bond film - and I love the series. Stars Ralph Fiennes as the stylish Duke of Oxford, Charles Dance as General Kitchener (who I think is supposed to be his father-in-law, although in real life Kitchener didn't marry), and Rhys Ifans as Rasputin. Promised to be great fun! The Omniplex, as usual, has the cheapest ticket prices.

..but my mother was speaking to someone who told her that Covid was rampant in Limerick. And by the time I'd argued with her over it, and she sighed "Oh, go if you want to," it was too late anyway, for the showing I'd wanted. I had kind of agreed not to go anywhere on Monday either, so - with Tesco delivering yesterday afternoon, and me having to be there to meet them - it ended up being today.

At last! Well, I actually took off early - so as not to have to make chit-chat with my mother's care assistant, whose chit-chat isn't really worth hanging around for. So I got there early - took the roundabout route as usual, avoiding the city centre, and was early enough to get to Tesco beforehand. To pick up the stuff she forgot to ask me to order, and was then surprised when she didn't get it. When I'd done that, I headed to the cinema, where a short queue at the door - where they were checking our Covid certs and ID - allowed me to get my stuff together. And I was still nice and early into the screen - mercifully, not as cold as the last time!

So, this film shows us the origins of the Kingsman Intelligence Agency. First, we have a little detour to the Boer War, where we are introduced to the Duke, and his pacifist credentials are established. However, the action proper starts with the advent of the First World War - which, in this, arises from the fiendish machinations of - a Scotsman! who (spoiler) wants to punish the English for centuries of oppression. So he has assembled all the troublemakers of the day - and what a bunch! Seated around the table are Rasputin, Mata Hari, Gavrilo Princip, Lenin, an adviser to the Kaiser.. truly, a vexatious combination. The Kingsman Intelligence Agency - which initially meets at the Duke's estate - takes it upon itself to combat these nefarious plans!

It's quite a mixture, this film, which is probably why it didn't rate higher. It's funny, it's stylish - and there is tremendous attention to real historic detail. For instance, I was delighted to watch the death of Rasputin - no spoiler to reveal that he was murdered, any history buff will know that, and as in real life, he was fed poisoned cake at Yusupov's home (a cousin of the Oxfords, in this), and finally shot in the forehead, being apparently immune to the poison. And Gavrilo Princip really did shoot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, when their car stopped close to him - here, the Duke is in the same car. As for the Romanovs - yes, sadly, the Tsar, the Tsarina, and their five children did die in a hail of bullets in a basement.

Which brings me on to another feature of the film - it's got a lot of sombre scenes: like the Romanovs' murders, like realistic scenes (albeit without the mud) of trench warfare, like the depictions of no-man's-land. It's pointedly anti-war - Kitchener, Oxford, and the King all bemoan the loss of life at various points. And all of this sits uneasily with the hilarity of other scenes. So, there isn't a cohesive style. But it's still very watchable - and impeccably well-mannered. Apart, of course, from Rasputin.

Oh, and do stay for a bit of the credits - there is another scene, introducing another fiendish ally of chaos.. ;-)

Right! Next up - and the last I'll be seeing before I go back, it seems, as no new films seem to be opening - is The Matrix: Resurrections (Omniplex again, of course). My original plan was actually to see this first, until its ratings plummeted! So, it's a kind of sequel to the original Matrix trilogy, with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, both of whom were killed in the last film, back to life. Which, of course, is never a problem with the construct of reality that we get in these films - anything goes. I do wonder whether their resurrection will be explained - and whether we'll understand it if it is! Neil Patrick Harris and Christina Ricci also show up, as does Jada Pinkett Smith, reprising her role as a pilot of one of the rebel ships. Anyway, I've heard some complaints about the CGI.. We'll see. As I say, it's all that's left for me to see here, anyway. Methinks I'd better review the plot to date, before embarking on the next chapter.. aiming to see this tomorrow.

I fly back to London on Monday. And after that, again, we shall see..