Kick now, ass questions later
Monday, March 29, 2010
Based on the fiercely original graphic novel by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr, Kick-Ass follows the story of a teenage fanboy Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) who decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so. After being caught on camera saving someone from a beating, Kick-Ass becomes a YouTube phenomenon and a media frenzy descends on the story of a masked vigilante. It is not long before he meets real superheroes in the form of a Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her father Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), plus newbie Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Together they work to bring down gangster Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) and his many cronies.
This is one film that does exactly what the title suggests; it kicks ass.
Fans of the graphic novel will be pleased to see it keeps the pacing and many of the quirks of the original story. The actors are all perfectly cast, none more so than Brit Aaron Johnson as the title character. After playing a young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy and now a geek-turned-hero, he is really proving himself to be a remarkable talent. Nicolas Cage always tends to balance on the line between cool and neurotic, but he delivers what is undoubtedly one of his coolest performances to date as the Adam West-esque Big Daddy. The young Chloe Grace Moretz is also a stand out, backing up her dramatic turns in The Poker House and (500) Days of Summer with meaty role few child actors would have been comfortable tackling.
Director Matthew Vaughn's experience working with Guy Ritchie on several films shows here, with the smutty dialogue and expertly choreographed action sequences. He integrates music from The Prodigy to The New York Dolls seamlessly, giving the film more attitude than it seems humanly possible. No doubt parenting groups will be up in arms about the character of Hit Girl, an 11-year-old mass murdering dynamo whose potty mouth makes Gordon Ramsay look like a nun.
But the film as just as ultra violent, ultra awesome and, in some cases, ultra offensive as its source material. Produced by Brad Pitt (among others) and his production company Plan B Entertainment, it has not lost any of its bite in the transition to the silver screen and as a film, it delivers a one two punch to the traditional comic book movie. Like the bastard child of Tarantino and Spiderman, Kick-Ass proves you can make adult entertainment from a juvenile concept, with a sprinkling of social commentary. The ending leaves opportunity for a sequel, so you can only pray enough people see and support this ballsy film that makes no apologies for what it is.
Kick-Ass opens in cinemas next Thursday, April 8.
