Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) runs a private spy ring in the United Kingdom during the early 1900’s.  After receiving intelligence that Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), working under the orders of a mysterious “Shepherd” has been advising Tsar Nicholas (Tom Hollander) to withdraw Russia from the World War I, Oxford and his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) make plans to poison the nefarious friar.  In doing so, the father-son duo uncover a much deeper plot with roots spreading across the continent, and across the globe. 

Matthew Vaughn returns to write and direct the third installment of his Kingsmen series for 20^th Century Studios by reaching way back in history to the origin of the spy agency with The King’s Man.  A breakout hit, Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) launched the franchise as a bold, popping, and less self-serious action series in the vein of James Bond.  In the second outing, The Golden Circle (2017), Vaughn’s cheeky, self-aware and of-the-moment style got in the way of the actual story which resulted in a far less fun film than his bombastic debut of the franchise.  Taking a step back into the past was the best move for the series as it did not need to concern itself with commenting on the current trends and fitting in celebrity cameos and this return to form makes The King’s Man an enjoyable action flick. albeit convoluted. 

There is a major problem with the narrative scope of the film in that it turns the events of World War I into historical fan faction.  Historical fiction is one thing, but the amount of major historical moments that Vaughn intertwines his fictional heroes – and villains – creates a moral conundrum.  In today’s day and age where conspiracy theories run rampant through a society, storytellers have an obligation to ensure that major events are represented appropriately.  Vaughn is not using World War I as a framing device for a fictional spy mission, rather he is inserting his characters into the textbooks.  While audiences should be able to separate the two arcs – real and fiction – there is still a responsibility here that has been shrugged off by the screenwriters. 

What does work here is the popping action.  The fight choreography and stunt work are all very stylized that fit into the bold world of the film, especially at the Christmas party with Rasputin.  The extended set piece set the stage for what is to be expected in the later fights, and the designers stocked the sets with plenty of tools to strike with and defend themselves while the battle between good and evil play out to the majestic and triumphant Tchaikovsky-inspired score by Dominic Lewis and Matthew Margeson .  Vaughn does, however, make some questionable decisions in the characterization of Rasputin as the friar is heavily queer coded with many outdated insinuations and crude mannerisms played for jokes. 

The other major highlight of The King’s Man are the scenes in the trenches.  Having enlisted into the army against his pacifist father’s wishes, Conrad gets a little more than he may have bargained for when he finds himself on the front line.  There is a close combat fight at night that is incredibly engaging and uses no man’s land in a very unique way not often seen.  What seems like a deviation of the main story comes back into play in a nice way that guides the film back on track before entering into into the third act and while the final set pieces are – again – captivating, the ultimate motives behind the antagonist force are not as developed as one would hope, possibly due to the confinement of the narrative by history. 

That being said, the film does feel a little long at 130 minutes.  Vaughn can be prickly, so for those who are not receptive to his style, The King’s Man would be an excruciating experience.  Admittedly, the style does wear out its welcome at times across the length of the film and becomes a bit of a parody of itself.  The loose handling of its tone can be easily forgiven as the film is far from being self-serious and it seems content to revel in its own absurdity.  The actors all appear to be enjoying themselves so even if Vaughn is pushing people away, the magnetic performances help to lure eyes back onto the screen.