Kick Ass (2010) - Directed by Matthew Vaughn

They are rare and beautiful things, concept films. In recent times there have been some notable examples, Wall-E (2008) and No Country for Old Men (2007) are proof that the pure brilliance of a single idea can lead to considerable box office success. Unfortunately, they are still an extremely rare phenomenon, if they make it past the drawing board they dont usually get past the investors, and if they make it past the investors they often bomb (yes, we are looking at you Norbit (2007)). Nonetheless, Kick Ass made it to the big screen, and for that we should be truly thankful.You can just picture the scene. Matthew Vaughn stands before the board of executives that will ultimately decide the fate of Kick Ass, smiles, and says 'I know it doesnt make alot of sense, but just go with me on this one'. And thank god those fat cats in the suits decided that Vaughn's pedigree as a director and producer, overseeing such cult smashes such as Lock Stock, Layer Cake and the truly magnificent Snatch, gave the Kick Ass concept sufficient clout for it to get the green light.

The film opens with a classic zero-to-hero nerd narrative. Awkward teenager Dave, sick of being invisible to the girls, and being seen only as an easy target for mugging by the boys, decides that enough is enough and by virtue of a green leotard ordered from ebay, Kick Ass is born. Cue the Rocky style training ritual, Dave starts doing sit ups and jumping buildings (well, not quite) and he finally feels like he is leaving behind the curly haired nobody with a masturbation problem. These opening scenes are relatively fun and enjoyable but dreadfully generic and predictable, and we brace ourselves to yawn the familiar 'I know how this will end' yawn. But if you think the film will continue down this track, you are gravely mistaken. Kick Ass' first adventure as a superhero sees him intercept two car thieves with whom his alter-ego Dave has had several run-ins. We of course know that Kick Ass, despite the leotard and the kendo sticks, is still the same nerd that his adversaries have mugged with clockwork regularity and will lose his fight. But when Kick Ass gets beaten within an inch of his life, stabbed in the stomach, then run over, you realise, looking at Dave's bloodied face, that all bets of a comfortable, shticky spiderman spoof are well and truly off.

This gruesome and truly horrific altercation sets the tone for the rest of the film. The opening sequences, one quickly realises, are merely Vaughn's (sadistic, but brilliant) attempts to lull his audience into a false sense of security, only to smash them with a blood-soaked sucker punch. Make no mistake, Kick Ass is a wolf in sheep's clothing, the colourful spandex and nerd comedy make the film's uncompromising penchant for violence all the more staggering. On more than one occasion you find yourself open-mouthed as if to say 'where the hell did that come from!?', and Vaughn's disregard for the conventions of genre, and his evident talent in the fine art of shocking, constitute a good deal of Kick Ass' appeal.

After recovering from his injuries, Kick Ass returns to superhero duties more determined and defiant. Quickly rising to fame, he gains some superhero friends ('Big Daddy'- a textbook cameo by Nicholas Cage and Mindy - the most dangerous 11 year old you are likely to encounter) and some serious enemies, and finds himself a pawn in a game of goodies and baddies that is far bigger than he imagined possible. Vaughn invites his audience to sit back and watch the fallout, and as anyone who has seen Layer Cake would know, there are few who can create thrilling, visceral action quite like him.

The potential, as the film progresses, and as we are introduced to more and more interesting and funny characters, is that Kick Ass becomes a pedestrian in his own superhero narrative. However, Dave's journey from scrawny nerd to the real McCoy is dealt with by actor Aaron Johnson with a surprising lightness of touch. In a film that could all too easily spiral out of control into a series of archetypes and cliche's, he keeps the film firmly rooted in the world of humanity. The subtle sense of humility he maintains throughout the film keeps the audience emotionally engaged as well as completely thrilled. If there is such a thing as 'Total Cinema', Kick Ass comes mighty close.

Vaughn also imports a boat load of British grit into the often sterile and over CGI'd world of comic adaptations. A far cry from the slick dystopias of The Spirit or Sin City, Kick Ass is rough around the edges, and proud. Mindy, the 11 year old Hit-girl who has been the sole source of the critical controversy that has surrounded Kick Ass ever since its release, is central to the movie's shameless affrontery. To hear an 11 year old girl say 'cunt' without a flinch or apology is a surreal experience, and has unsurprisingly raised a few critics' eyebrows. But for those who can get off their moral high-horse and buy into the film's subversive manifesto, Mindy's deeply provocative yet ultimately hilarious character is an absolute pleasure to watch. Indeed, Kick Ass is packed full of exceptional performances, Nicholas Cage stands out for his quirky portrayal of a psychotic doting dad, but there are no real weak links in the cast, again we have Vaughn to thank for getting his actors into the groove and in top form.

In summary, Kick Ass is a film with massive appeal. Gripping, shocking, yet most of all funny, it is a real dark horse that delivers on many more levels than the bright colour palettes, nerdy banter and melodramatic plot would lead you to beleive. Vaughn is in fine form, and behind everything that is good about Kick Ass. Taking the best that horror, action and comedy has to offer, he creates an unconventional twist on the comic-book film, and the concept clearly works.

Verdict: Kick Ass gives the typical comic-book film a firm kick up the ass, it is a gritty, ambiguous and stylish revision of a genre that has grown stagnant with the flood of films attempting to cash in on the comic-book craze. Upon first glance, many would feel that it is not for them. I implore those people to ignore their reservations and watch this film because it delivers on numerous levels. Kick Ass is exceptionally good. 9/10