KICK-ASS

Kick-Ass (2010)
Grade: B
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Mark Strong, Chloe Grace Moretz, Lyndsey Fonseca, Nicholas Cage, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
PREMISE: A young comic book fan's decision to buy a mask and a costume and try being an actual superhero backfires, bringing startling and unintended consequences on himself and his friends.

RATED R for strong bloody violence, strong language (including graphic sexual references), strong sexual content, and a scene of torture
I hope Quentin Tarantino has seen Kick-Ass.

Matthew Vaughn’s 2010 film—which he and Jane Goldman adapted from the graphic novel by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.—owes a lot to Tarantino’s quirky, bloody-but-irreverently-tongue-in-cheek style, best displayed in movies like the Kill Bill saga and Inglorious Basterds. Centered around a young man (Aaron Johnson) who decides to try becoming a masked crime stopper even though he has no powers, and subsequently stumbles into a war between a local crime lord (Mark Strong) and a pair of fellow masked vigilantes (Nicholas Cage and Chloe Moretz), Kick-Ass does have the joyous soul of something “different” like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. However, because the material here is considerably darker and grimmer than that of Scott Pilgrim, it also has an uneven feel, with some nastier incidents likely to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Dave (Johnson) is your average high school nerd, who lives and dies by the comic book and has crushes on pretty much every female he sees (including his teachers). But after he and a buddy are mugged-and none of the watching spectators help them-Dave decides to try something--he orders a green and yellow spandex suit-complete with mask and weapons-off eBay and, after brainstorming names, declares himself the superhero Kick-Ass. His first attempt at stopping crime doesn’t exactly go as planned, but when he saves a random stranger from three marauding thugs a few weeks later, and the patrons of a nearby diner record him on their phones, he becomes rock star-famous—on the news, the Internet, and even the comic book stores he haunts—and his newfound swagger even gets him in with drop-dead-gorgeous peer Katie (Lyndsey Fonseca).

Everything is not what it seems, though. Since he wears a mask during his exploits, Dave is not famous—Kick-Ass is—and Katie has taken a liking to him, he finds, because he gives off such unsexy vibes that she thinks he’s gay and she’s “always wanted a special gay friend”. When Dave’s newly-close connection to Katie leads him to realize a man at her volunteer center has been bothering her, he springs into action (as Kick-Ass, of course). The man turns out to be a drug-dealer, and Dave's intrusion in his and his fellow hoods' money-counting/drinking binge is not taken kindly, but Dave is saved in the knick of time by Hit-Girl (Moretz).  An obvious preteen, sporting bright purple hair, tight leather get-ups and a potty mouth, Hit-Girl (literally) takes apart the gang, aided by her father, Big Daddy (Cage), a Batman impersonator. Daddy, it turns out, is out to get back at mobster Frank D'Amico (Strong), the man who ruined his career, and life, back when he was a policeman, and he’s been raising his little girl to be the ultimate combatant, down to teaching her to learn how to take a bullet in the chest—when wearing a bulletproof vest, of course. But Big Daddy’s exploits are making headlines, too, tipping off D’Amico-and his desperate-to-prove-himself son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)-that all masked vigilantes in the city need to go.

While reading critics’ reviews of Kick-Ass, I read some praise and some complaints. The complaints, of course, were severe, taking shots at the movie’s devotion to bloody violence, filthy language, and seeming carelessness about what it puts onscreen. But what doesn’t make sense, in that regard, is that all those critics adored Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds-among others-two films that balanced what you and I might call “seriousness” with shocking, unmitigated violence and casual vulgarity, even if they did so with flair. Heck, the bloodiest scene in Kill Bill was presented in anime, for crying out loud, and you watched men get their brains beaten out with a bat-and a woman getting slowly strangled to death-in Basterds. Yes, both those previous films shocked me, and, yes, I was surprised by the seriousness of Kick-Ass’s material, but, in my opinion, why not call a spade a spade?

The main argument against Kick-Ass is, of course, also the film’s biggest calling card—that a good amount of the bloodletting-and cursing (including four-letter words that start with ‘f’ and ‘c’) is done by Moretz, who was eleven when she filmed her scenes as Hit-Girl. I’ll admit that I was unnerved by her use of some of those words-and I find it extremely hard to imagine her parents consenting to her playing this particular part-but the fact that her character offs people didn’t alarm me: lately, there’s been a premium on youths in combat in the movies, in films as varied as The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter and the upcoming Hunger Games. Yes, Kick-Ass is much bloodier than any of those films, but I think people just like to complain--again, they totally consented to the unblinking slaughter in films like Inglorious Basterds. For the record, Moretz is dynamite, despite the nastiness of some of her material—you’re totally rooting for her to save the day in one scene, gaping at her incredible abilities in at least two others, and nearly crying for her in another. The actress (for whom her heart-stealing role in Hugo was clearly a walk in the park after this) nimbly navigates all waters, and comes out a big winner.

Johnson gets a lot of big laughs from his typical nerd-character-awkwardness, and sardonic, cutting voiceover (think American Beauty or Payback) he’s endearing as both Dave and Kick-Ass. Strong, who has also played villains recently in Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood, is super-intense as the villain; he could easily have strolled in from a Martin Scorcese picture. And the film’s biggest star, Cage, makes a positive impression-albeit in a strange role-bringing his usual intensity but also some of the film's main comic relief, courtesy of a jerky, slow-burn Adam West-inspired voice. It's an odd role, but it represents a big step up from the kind of crap he’s been making lately (Ghost Rider, Season of the Witch, Drive Angry, Knowing, Wicker Man, etc…).
So, do I recommend it?Um….good question. Not quite as stylistically-bizarre (or appealing, depending on how you view it) as Scott Pilgrim, but far less family-friendly; this movie is for those who are daring, not at all squeamish, and willing to watch something with a hard edge. Basically, if you’ve loved the films of Tarantino and Scorcese, you’ll like this. This is no Spiderman or Captain America (or some other mainstream, likeable superhero flick). Keep the kids, and even some of the teenagers, far away. As for content, Kick-Ass is bloody, profane, not at all shy about presenting sexual material, and contains a late scene of beating/torture that flirts with being outright unwatchable.
Bottom Line (I promise):A little girl tears people apart and says naughty words-that’s probably what you’ll remember. There are laughs and endearing characters and even a happy ending, but Kick-Ass is not for the faint of heart.

Kick-Ass (2010)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Based on the comic books by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
Written by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman
Rated R for strong bloody violence, strong sexual content, language (including graphic sexual references) and a scene of torture
Length: 117 minutes