What if normal people put on costumes and tried to be superheroes in a superhero-free world? That's the question posed by Matthew Vaughn's Kick Ass, an adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s genre-skewering comic book. Much has been made in recent weeks of the violent content, not because of the violence itself (far, far, FAR worse has been put on screen), but because of the characters committing it: teens and pre-teens. Well, one pre-teen, Mindy Macready, AKA Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), who may very well be in the running for Character of the Year.
But before I get ahead of myself, let me (briefly) give a rundown of the plot. Basically, it's this: ordinary guy Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) decides to put on a costume and fight crime, just because...well...for the sake of doing it. He hasn't been wronged in any way (although he is sick of being bullied for money by two local thugs), and his situation in life isn't dire in any way. He's just ordinary to the extreme. And that's part of the beauty of the source material and Vaughn's film as a result. Considering how long it takes for Dave to become Kick Ass, not to mention the gradual inclusion of Hit Girl, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage), and Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), the film remains entertaining and engaging (albeit not as sharp as it thinks it is), and you want to root for Dave/KickAss. However, once Hit Girl and Big Daddy arrive, it's hard to not want the film to be about them. In spite of Johnson's perfectly good portrayal, the Hit Girl/Big Daddy dynamic carries so much more energy in regards to the plot, despite being relegated to supporting status. I won't spoil the first time the father/daughter team are shown together, but let's just say there's something so delightfully deranged-yet-endearing about the way Cage refers to his daughter as "child," that it's hard not to smile.
Yet while the story itself, which ultimately becomes that which it set out satirize by the end (albeit with a wink) isn't perfect (the teen comedy aspect at time is rushed), Vaughn's direction and the action are spot on. It's amazing to see Vaughn, who fumbled around haplessly with 2007's Stardust, dive into a film with such conviction, especially when the results often have you wanting to clap. In particular, the use of music is spectacular, namely two compositions from John Murphy's scores for 28 Days Later..., and Sunshine, add up to stunning effect in the fight scenes, and the use of a classic Ennio Morricone piece is practically a wicked joke of its own. Even in scenes that don't amount to much, such as when Dave first attempts to leap between buildings, the music pulls you in. What's amazing is that each fight scene, as has be noted in other reviews, has its own personality and style, with one even switching briefly into first-person vision. It's one of those rare instances where I wished every action sequence could have kept going for another five minutes, solely for the sake of reveling in the beautifully stylized and stunningly choreographed violence.
And amazingly, in spite of the stunning action, we still care about these characters. Again, I won't spoil what happens, but when things turn south for our protagonists, it's hard not to feel something. Cage, who's been in something of a rut for a long time, turns in a really nice supporting turn as Big Daddy, and is actually self-consciously goofy, while also sheltering some inner demons (it would have been nice to have these front and center instead of Kick Ass' girl troubles). Mintz-Plasse, best known for his role as McLovin' in Superbad, is solid as Red Mist, never slipping into a rehash of that iconic role, but again, it would have been nice to have more of him. Then there's pint-sized Moretz. As Hit Girl she's shockingly foul-mouthed, and this charisma carries over to her normal side. The way her face lights up when she gets a special knife for a birthday present displays not only a startling maturity in the character, but in the actress portraying her as well. It's not a perfect turn, she doesn't always handle her non-Hit Girl with equal strength, but it is certainly a star-making one. The rest of the cast fill out their roles nicely, with Mark Strong adding another solid villain to his resume.
But in the end the real mastermind is Vaughn as director (he also co-wrote the screenplay), who brings all of these wild elements together and creates such visceral action on such a low budget, and makes it all look so, well, Kick Ass. It may not be a great film, but Kick Ass is certainly example of a director getting solid work from his performers, and crafting a thoroughly engaging film and exhilarating film from a screenplay that falls short in several departments.
Grade: B/B
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