Kick-Ass - Movie Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

The team behind Stardust brings us the superhero movie we always wanted: brazen, raucous and without a single politically correct moment from start to finish. And yes, it's both wildly rude and great fun.

Dave (Johnson) is a shy New York teen who wonders why no one sticks up for each other. So he creates a secret alter-ego, Kick-Ass, and sets out to make a difference. Of course he gets beaten to a pulp. But he also catches the city's imagination. The problem is that gangster Frank (Strong) thinks he's to blame for a series of setbacks and helps his son (Mintz-Plasse) create a rival hero, Red Mist. But Frank's nemesis is actually a man (Cage) who has turned his 12-year-old daughter (Moretz) into a killing machine.

From the opening gag, we know we're not in standard superhero territory. Vaughn and Goldman gleefully throw every comic book cliche into a shredder while maintaining a snappy visual style that owes a debt to Tarantino. No one has superpowers (although you could argue the point about Dave, and not just because he's invisible to girls). And every scene takes a sharp turn, veering off in a direction we couldn't expect. The result is exhilarating, keeping us happily off balance and constantly amused.

Johnson is a terrific everyteen, bland enough to be a hero but also endearing and sympathetic. Strong and Mintz-Plasse gleefully twist their usual villain and nerd types, respectively. And Cage gives his best comical performance in ages (if you don't count The Bad Lieutenant), with an amusing Adam West parody in his character's thinly veiled Batman alter-ego Big Daddy. But the film is stolen completely by Moretz as the sparky Mindy, aka the whirling, kicking, foul-mouthed Hit Girl. She's an instant icon.

There's a point near the end when the plot crosses a line that will leave a bad taste in the mouths of discerning viewers. But by then the film's juggernaut of thunderous entertainment has reached such a high speed that it's virtually impossible to imagine that a sequel won't be on its way soon. And it's not quite enough to diminish the subtle but important message woven throughout this story: would you risk anything for someone who was in heed of help?

Facts and Figures

Year: 2010

Genre: Action/Adventure

Run time: 117 mins

In Theaters: Friday 16th April 2010

Box Office USA: $20.0M

Box Office Worldwide: $96.2M

Budget: $28M

Distributed by: Lionsgate

Production compaines: Marv Films, Plan B Entertainment

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Fresh: 186 Rotten: 58

IMDB: 7.8 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Producer: Brad Pitt, Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling, Tarquin Pack, David Reid, Kris Thykier

Screenwriter: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass, Chloë Grace Moretz as Hit Girl / Mindy Macready, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Chris D'Amico / Red Mist, Nicolas Cage as Damon Macready / Big Daddy, Mark Strong as Frank D'Amico, Omari Hardwick as Marcus, Xander Berkeley as Detective Vic Gigante, Clark Duke as Marty, Garrett M. Brown as Mr. Lizewski, Evan Peters as Todd, Deborah Twiss as Mrs. Zane, Lyndsy Fonseca as Katie Deauxma, Sophie Wu as Erika Cho, Elizabeth McGovern as Mrs. Lizewski, Stu 'Large' Riley as Huge Goon, Michael Rispoli as Big Joe, Corey Johnson as Sporty Goon, Kenneth Simmons as Scary Goon, Anthony Desio as Baby Goon, Randall Batinkoff as Tre Fernandez, Dexter Fletcher as Cody, Yancy Butler as Angie D'Amico, Craig Ferguson as Himself, Jason Flemyng as Lobby Goon

Also starring: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Tamer Hassan, Brad Pitt, Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling, David Reid, Jane Goldman