seen 30 January 2015
How can a spoof James Bond movie be successful when Bond himself is something of a spoof? This film manages to pull off the trick, with a slick but faintly risible secret Secret Service, a cool wit and some clever plot twists which take no harm from referring to stock situations and established film conventions.
Much has been made in the accompanying media puffs of Colin Firth's training to be fit enough to perform the stunts (or at least some of them). He does cut a surprisingly dashing figure as the older spy, with his natural unflappability masking the necessary skills to defeat the run-of-the-mill baddies. He has more problems with the real villain of the piece, a marvellously over-the-top Samuel L Jackson, but that is part of the story.
Michael Caine and Mark Strong provide sterling backup as 'Arthur' and 'Merlin' (analogues for 'M' and 'Q') while Taron Egerton turns in a strong performance as the young recruit who unexpectedly comes good despite - or perhaps because of - his council estate upbringing. He is plausibly edgy and lippy at the beginning and just as plausibly suave and self-assured by the end, amidst increasingly wayward mayhem and fantastical gadgetry.
A really entertaining romp of a film.
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