June DVD Releases: Kingsman, Focus, Serena
Posted on June 2, 2015 by bob in DVD
Kingsman: The Secret Service (R)
Years of reviewing has taught me to expect little from big-budget movies that hit the theaters in January – March. They tend to be the dregs of the industry left over from the rush to get their good stuff into theaters before New Year’s Eve for awards eligibility. That makes exceptions like this even more of a treat. Of all the spoofs of James Bond and other superspy films, this is not only the most recent, but probably the funniest and splashiest since Austin Powers plied these waters.
The eponymous organization is a top secret group of elegantly-tailored gents who could pass for members of the House of Lords while kicking ass like Jason Bourne. They transcend borders, but are more British in most respects than the Royal Family, led by Sir Michael Caine and Colin Firth. Such guardians require a megavillain, and get a superbly evil and campy one in Samuel L. Jackson, complete with his outrageous plan for a new world order. His way. He’s also backed by one of the genre’s most cleverly-crafted henchpersons (Sofia Boutella), who makes memorable predecessors like Oddjob and Jaws from the early 007 adventures seem like second-stringers.
The Kingsmen lose a couple of members while discovering Jackson’s plot, forcing a recruitment and training effort. That brings in our troubled young protagonist from the lower classes (Taron Egerton, who looks like he could be Matt Damon’s kid brother) to try for the roster. What follows covers all the bases of comedy, action and large-scale f/x with generous doses of social and political satire.
Matthew Vaughn deftly deploys his experience from action and comedy features as director and co-writer of this comic-book adaptation. The film runs just over two hours, which is long for such fare, but doesn’t seem excessive. Always a good sign. In fact, this one builds to a couple of truly first-rate action sequences — one particularly hilarious; the others primed for adrenaline production. This may not be a great movie, but it’s a wonderful and welcome escape, with some stunning, perhaps award-worthy, computer-generated elements.
Focus (PG-13)
Will Smith stars as a master thief we’re supposed to root for in this caper dramedy. His skills as a con artist and pickpocket are exceptional; same for his organizational skills, as we learn he’s assembled a large crew to work every angle of a major event, swiping wallets, jewels and identities en masse, including a foxy newcomer (Margot Robbie). Overall, this one’s much more entertaining than his After Earth. But so are most trips to the dentist.
Films that get audiences to side with the crooks require a couple of factors — skill and charisma of the protagonists is the first essential. The second is that we need to feel as if their victims deserve to be had. All the beloved big cons and heists of film lore pitted likable underdogs against rich jerks or nasty crime bosses, usually manipulating their inherent greed and arrogance against them. So watching Smith as his minions prey on members of the general public undermines viewer allegiance. Anyone who’s been hit by petty criminals or identity thieves will have a hard time staying in Smith’s corner. Without that empathy connection, the film fails.
Smith’s first encounter with Robbie sets the table nicely. The highlight for dramatic tension comes early — at the Super Bowl. The rest of the film is a muddled mess of moves, switches and misdirections that don’t work emotionally or logically. Bad script; defective concept. Creators Glenn Ficarra and John Requa should have binge-watched The Sting, either version of Ocean’s Eleven, and TV series like The Rogues, Hustle and Leverage to get their own focus in order before writing this one.
Serena (R)
It’s the Great Depression. Bradley Cooper is a good guy with a struggling Appalachian lumber mill. He falls at first sight for a babe (Jennifer Lawrence), whose logging family had been thriving in Colorado until a tragic fire left her as the sole survivor. She’s smart, sexy, tough and knows the business. That makes her a valued asset to hubby, a rival to his closest pals, and another factor in his battle with local politicos and competitors. The resulting period drama could have been far more compelling than it turned out, wasting a fine cast that includes Rhys Ifans and Toby Jones in key supporting roles. Someone apparently spent far more effort on re-creating the locale and period than the writing or pacing.
Something seems a bit too-good-to-be-true about Lawrence’s character, setting up a suspense element. The passion between the leads is surprisingly subdued, as if the Hayes Office that suppressed sexy bits in movies during that era were still monitoring the final edits here. They’d already shown better chemistry together in Silver Linings Playbook than director Susanne Bier decided to show in this pairing. I won’t tell you what happens, but they took too long to get there. If you have enough patience, you may find the plot and principals satisfying enough to keep you engaged. But prepare for more mood and texture than story progression.
Mark Glass
Mark Glass is an officer and director of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.
