After Layer Cake and Stardust it didn’t look good for British producer/director Matthew Vaughn, but he has finally pulled it out of the bag with Kick-Ass, a post-modern superhero film. While not without its faults, Kick-Ass is a very pleasing mix of humour and ultra violence that should delight comic and non-comic book fans alike.
Following an unconventional route to the screen, Kick-Ass creators Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. sold the film rights before they had even published it. So the film and the graphic novel were essentially written at the same time. When Vaughn was unable to gain the backing of any of the big studios he made the film independently, raising the $70 million budget himself. This is an origin backstory that seems appropriate for a film that plays with the conventions of the genre established by Marvel and DC Comics.
When Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson, Nowhere Boy) becomes a superhero, it is not due to a terrible radiation accident or to avenge a parental murder. He buys himself a costume and creates a character - Kick-Ass, partially because he wants to fight the bad guys, but mainly to see if he can. While Dave’s alter-ego becomes an internet sensation, it is real vigilantes, Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz, (500) Days of Summer) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) who are really taking out the top criminals. Like any comic book film, there is the prerequisite nemesis, Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong, Sherlock Holmes), who is the head of a criminal organisation and father to Chris/Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, McLovin in tights).
It has to be said outright that this film pushes the boundaries of taste and given the level of violence and profanity given to Moretz who is 13, it is no surprise she is being compared to Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver. Certainly this adult content in a child’s role will put many people off seeing the film and it may be worth watching the red band trailer if you are concerned. If you can’t stomach it, this movie really isn’t going to be your cup of tea.
Read the full review at Trespass
