Kick-Ass **** (2010, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Strong) – Classic Movie Review 787

Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy) stars in director Matthew Vaughn’s 2010 action comedy as ordinary New York teen Dave Lizewski, who takes his comic-book obsession to the max and becomes a superhero – Kick-Ass – gets a daft green and yellow suit and mask off the Internet and starts crime fighting despite his lack of superpowers.

Inspiring copycats, he’s hunted by violent lowlifes, meeting up with a pair of crazed vigilantes, the 11-year-old sword-wielding Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her dad, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) – and makes friends with another novice superhero, Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, McLovin’ in Superbad). They soon find a nemesis in Red Mist’s dad, the evil mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

Based on a comic book by Mark Millar and John S Romita Jr, this has a dazzling, constantly surprising, brilliantly edgy and unusually challenging screenplay by Jonathan Ross’s wife Jane Goldman and director Matthew Vaughn (who worked together on the much less spectacular or well achieved Stardust).

Vaughn directs like a man inspired and obsessed. It’s by far the most astounding entertainment from the Guy Ritchie-Vaughn stable so far. The performances are great, especially by the young star trio, who are all remarkable, fresh and fun. There’s really a hell of lot to admire in this film. It’s in many ways one cool movie.

But, this movie also takes a step too far. It crosses the line. Cage’s Big Daddy is first discovered shooting blanks into his 11-year-old daughter’s stomach (‘don’t worry, it won’t hurt much more than a punch to the gut’) and the level of violence throughout is way, way over an acceptable ‘fun’ amount. And having a child using four-letter words (including the C word) and coming on with the guns and poses, like Angelina Jolie on a bad-ass day, just isn’t on guys.

That’s the bottom line – this is pornographic, in its dictionary sense of ‘lurid or sensational material’. [Spoiler alert} Oh, and Moretz’s Hit-Girl is forced to sit and watch her father Big Daddy burnt to death in front of her. Now, that’s really vile.

Sorry to go the fuddy-duddy route, but it’s astonishing that the British censor thinks this hugely cynical and controversial film is OK for release as it is, let alone with a 15 certificate so that vulnerable and impressionable teenagers can view it.

With incredibly talented people pressing the cynical button hard, this is a sometimes depressing rather than an exhilarating experience, except for those entranced by mindless screen violence. The clear message is, the vigilantism is good, especially when teens and 11-year-old girls do it.

Come back gun-toting pensioner Harry Brown, all (well, some) is forgiven. No, not really.

As expected, it was an enormous hit and a sequel was required, Kick-Ass 2 (2013).

http://derekwinnert.com/kick-ass-2-film-review/

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 787 derekwinnert.com