The King's Man (2021)

The King's Man (2021)

 

 6/10

 Starring

Ralph Fiennes

Gemma Arterton

Rhys Ifans

Matthew Goode 

 

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

 

The King’s Man prequel starts with a very detailed and long introduction about why the King’s Man operates in the shadows and what drives it. The head of the organization, Orlando (Ralph Fiennes), is the man who started it to stop things before they happen.

Although I believe the movie is very good and worthy of being part of the King’s Man movie franchise, I also think the writers and producers wasted too much time making this movie longer than necessary. They added too many layers that don’t really matter. We watch the King’s Man movies because of the surprises the characters bring on screen and the action with gadgets, which, in my opinion, rival that of the James Bond franchise. You’ll have to wait more than fifty minutes before you see such a character surprise when Rasputin takes on Orlando, his son, and the people in his keep.

This long intro about what made Orlando become more of a pacifist begins with the death of his wife in front of their son, Conrad. These events lead him to build a small spy network made up of house staff and have secret meetings with military heads in a tailor shop known as King’s Man. The shop was seen as the only safe place to discuss critical issues concerning the nations without being overheard by anyone. He had two people in his employ, responsible for the well-being of his son. Orlando became very protective of his son, not wanting him to go anywhere for fear of his life. But brewing in the corners are men building their own organization, which they intend to use to disrupt things and start a war that will pit Germany, Russia, and the British Empire against one another.

A trip with his son had them witness firsthand the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne.

As movies like this go, while Orlando and his group were working behind the scenes to keep the peace, Conrad wanted to be a soldier. When he was of age, he was drafted against his father’s wishes.

At this point, much of the film has turned into an action thriller. Situations beyond Orlando’s control lead him to set up the King’s Man organization using the names of the knights from King Arthur’s Round Table in honor of those dearly departed.

The movie opened a nice door to what I see as a good way to bridge the gap between the past and present King’s Man movies. I can see them making more movies set between this one and the first King’s Man movie. The problem is, I hope they learn a little and try to make better use of time. Instead of dropping us into one of the most needless tales of how some men are trying to start a war, they should summarize these plans in the first ten minutes, rather than dragging it out for over forty-five minutes, and give us more of the action King’s Man is known for.