'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' (2017) Movie Review

A snarky, modestly clever, at times startlingly violent riff on James Bond’s urbane international man of mystery, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a decently fun watch. It’s not a movie I’ve ever felt the need to see again, and it’s one that, the farther I get from it, the less I find to enjoy. On the whole, it ultimately feels like a bunch of irritating bros laughing and chugging beer. That’s fine, but there’s nothing more to it than that. But The Secret Service made a butt-ton of money, so writer/director Matthew Vaughn and company are back with a sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle. And the word that repeatedly comes to mind is overkill.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' Movie Review: Who Knew Colin Firth Kicked So Much Ass?

This weekend at the box office is most certainly going to belong to Fifty Shades of Grey. But if you’re looking for something different, something not insipid and tedious, you’ll want to check out Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic Kingsman: TheSecret Service. It’s the first of what are going to be many spy, or spy-spoof movies slated to hit in 2015 (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Spectre, the latest James Bond film, and another Mission: Impossible are all on the way, among others), and it’s a nonstop blast from beginning to end.

Watch Colin Firth Dismantle An Entire Bar In This 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' Clip

Early on, if you had told me I’d be getting really excited for Kingsman: The Secret Service, I would have chuckled and given you a good-natured, “Sure.” It just didn’t look particularly good. But here we are, less than a month out, and the more I see, the more pumped I am. Not only does it look like a total blast, it’s getting startlingly good reviews, even from outlets that normally hate this kind of movie, and you have to appreciate any movie where just a normal looking dude is a total badass. In this new clip, you get to watch Colin Firth, the most calm, low-key British man imaginable, dismantle an entire bar full of goons, and that’s a good time. And he’s got tons of fantastic spy gizmos.

'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' Movie Review

Based on John le Carre’s 1974 spy novel of the same name, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” has a lot going for it. Chief on this list is the cast, led by Gary Oldman, who gives an intense but understated performance as George Smiley, a Cold War era British intelligence operative. As opposite as he can be from that other famous Brit spy, Smiley is tasked with exposing a high-ranking mole in the organization. With a supporting cast that includes Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, and Benedict Cumberbatch—which may be the best name in cinema—Smiley cautiously roots out the informant using crafty tricks he’s acquired through a lifetime of playing the spy game.