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The King's Man

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Wikipedia article




'The King's Man' is a 2021 spy action film directed by Matthew Vaughn from a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek and a story by Vaughn. The third installment in the British 'Kingsman' film series, which is based on the comic book 'The Secret Service' (later retitled to 'Kingsman') by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, it is a prequel to 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2014) and 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' (2017). Its ensemble cast includes Ralph Fiennes (also one of its executive producers), Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brhl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance. It focuses on several events during World War I and the birth of the Kingsman organisation.

It was released in the United States on 22 December 2021, and in the United Kingdom on 26 December 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through 20th Century Studios, delayed several times from an original November 2019 release date, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It received mixed reviews from critics, grossing $126 million against nearly a $100 million budget.

Plot



In 1902, aristocrat Orlando, Duke of Oxford, his wife Emily, and their young son Conrad visit a concentration camp in South Africa while working for the British Red Cross. Emily is mortally wounded during a Boer sniper attack on the camp. Before she dies, Emily makes Orlando promise never to let their son see war again.

Twelve years later, Orlando has formed a private spy network consisting of domestic servants employed by the world's most powerful dignitaries and has recruited his own servants, Shola and Polly, into it. The network's primary objective is to protect the United Kingdom and the British Empire from the approaching Great War. Conrad is eager to fight, but Orlando forbids him to join the British Army and persuades Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, not to let him do so.

At the behest of Kitchener, Conrad and Orlando ride with Orlando's friends, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, through Sarajevo. Conrad saves the Archduke from a bomb thrown by Gavrilo Princip, a Young Bosnia rebel intent on sparking a war. Princip later encounters the Archduke's entourage again by chance and fatally shoots him and his wife. Orlando learns that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was orchestrated by "The Flock": a group plotting to pit the German, Russian, and British empires against each other. The Flock has its headquarters on an isolated clifftop and is led by the mysterious "The Shepherd", whose ultimate goal is to achieve Scottish independence; among its operatives is Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, trusted adviser to Tsar Nicholas of Russia.

On the Shepherd's orders, Rasputin poisons Nicholas's young son Alexei, only to cure him when Nicholas promises to stay out of the war. Conrad is notified of Rasputin's manipulation by his cousin, Prince Felix Yusupov. Knowing the Western Front will be left vulnerable if Russia leaves the war, Conrad delivers this information to Kitchener and his aide-de-camp Major Max Morton, who set sail for Russia. Their ship, , is torpedoed by a submarine and sunk. Word of Kitchener's death reaches Orlando, spurring him to travel to Russia with Shola, Polly, and Conrad to kill Rasputin. After a grueling fight, Orlando, Shola, Conrad, and Polly successfully kill Rasputin during a Christmas party hosted by Felix. After celebrating his 19th birthday, Conrad expresses his determination to join the army, much to Orlando's dismay.

At the Shepherd's orders, Erik Jan Hanussen, an adviser to Kaiser Wilhelm II, sends the Zimmermann Telegram, hoping to distract Britain and the United States. Although the message is intercepted by British intelligence and deciphered by Polly, American President Woodrow Wilson refuses to join the war, citing a lack of concrete proof. The Shepherd recruits Vladimir Lenin and orders his Bolsheviks to overthrow the Tsar and remove Russia from the war, sending an assassin to execute the Romanov family.

Now of age, Conrad is commissioned into the Grenadier Guards against his father's wishes. King George V persuades Orlando to let him have Conrad assigned to London. Determined to fight in the war, Conrad swaps places with a soldier named Archie Reid, giving him the nickname "Lancelot" to send his father a message. Disguised as Archie, a member of the Black Watch, Conrad volunteers for a mission into No-Man's Land to retrieve information from a British agent wounded there. He is mistaken for a German spy upon his return and fatally shot, devastating Orlando, but the information he recovered verifies the authenticity of the Zimmermann Telegram.

After Wilson again refuses to enter the war despite Conrad's proof, Orlando learns that Wilson is being blackmailed with footage of being seduced by the Shepherd's agent, Mata Hari, and resolves to recover the original negatives. Upon defeating Hari at the American embassy, Orlando has her cashmere wool scarf identified as being made from a rare breed only found in a specific mountainous region. Orlando, Shola, and Polly head there and fight their way inside. The Shepherd is revealed to be Morton, who had faked his death and killed Kitchener himself. Orlando fights and kills Morton with the help of Shola while Polly recovers the film; it is delivered to Wilson, who burns it and prepares to mobilise American troops.

A year after the war, Orlando purchases the Kingsman Tailor Shop as a front for his organisation. Orlando, Shola, Polly, King George, Archie, and the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. form the original Kingsman, each assuming codenames from the King Arthur legend to honour Conrad. In a mid-credit scene, Hanussen, having taken on the Shepherd identity, introduces Lenin to the Romanovs' killer: a young Adolf Hitler.

Cast



Production



Development

In June 2018, Matthew Vaughn announced that a prequel film titled 'Kingsman: The Great Game' was in active development, stating that the plot would take place during the early 1900s and would depict the formation of the spy agency and that the project would film back-to-back with "the third regular 'Kingsman' film" which was scheduled to be released in 2021.

Casting

In September 2018, it was announced that Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson would star in the prequel with the former also serving as one of the executive producers of the film. In November 2018, it was revealed that Daniel Brhl, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans and Matthew Goode would co-star in the film.



In February 2019, it was reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou, Alison Steadman, Stanley Tucci, Robert Aramayo and Neil Jackson had joined the cast. In April 2019, it was announced Alexandra Maria Lara had joined the cast of the film. Later in May, Joel Basman joined the cast. That same month, as filming concluded, Vaughn denied reports that Liam Neeson had joined the cast. Vaughn also said 'The Great Game' was a working title and the film would not have that name.

Filming

Principal photography began 22 January 2019 in the United Kingdom. In April 2019, some scenes were shot in Piedmont, Italy: Turin, Po river's street, street of city and in two palaces close to it; Venaria Reale: the Palace of Venaria and royal gardens; Nichelino, Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi and surroundings; Racconigi (Cuneo), Castle of Racconigi. The film's initial cinematographer Ben Davis had to depart the project during reshoots due to his commitments to 'Eternals'.

Release



'The King's Man' had its world premiere in London, United Kingdom on 5 December 2021 and was theatrically released on 22 December 2021, its eighth proposed release date and more than two years after it was originally due to come out.

It was originally scheduled to be released on 8 November 2019, but was pushed back first to 15 November 2019, then to 14 February 2020, and then to 18 September 2020. The release date was again pushed back by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to 26 February 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the delay of Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four films, 'The King's Man' was moved up two weeks to 12 February 2021, before being moved again to 12 March 2021. In January 2021, the release date was delayed again to 20 August 2021. In March 2021, it was further delayed to the December 2021 date. The film played in cinemas for 45 days before heading to digital platforms.

Home media

The film started streaming on Disney+ through Star in the UK, Ireland, Japan, and South Korea on 9 February 2022 and much later that February for Australia and New Zealand and Canada. It streamed on HBO Max and Hulu on 18 February and on Star+ on 2 March. The film streamed on Disney+ Hotstar on 23 February 2022 in Southeast Asia. The film was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD by 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment on 22 February.

Soundtrack



Matthew Margeson, who worked with Henry Jackman in the previous 'Kingsman' films, composed the film score with Dominic Lewis. Hollywood Records released the soundtrack digitally on 22 December 2021. The ending theme is "Measure of a Man" by FKA Twigs featuring Central Cee.

Reception



Box office

'The King's Man' grossed $37.2million in the US and Canada, and $88.8million in other territories, for a worldwide total $126million.

In the US and Canada, 'The King's Man' was released alongside 'Sing 2' and 'The Matrix Resurrections'. It was originally projected to gross $1520 million from 3,175 screens over its first five days of release. It went on to under-perform, grossing $5.9 million in its opening weekend and an estimated $10 million over the five days, finishing fifth at the box office, with contributing factors such as the reluctance to go to cinemas during the pandemic, the rise of the Omicron variant of COVID and being released during the second weekend of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'. Men made up 65% of the audience during its opening, with those in the age range of 1834 comprising 54% of ticket sales and those above 35 comprising 40%. The film earned $4.6 million in its second weekend, $3.2 million in its third, $2.2 million in its fourth, $1.8 million in its fifth, $1.66 million in its sixth, $1.2 million in its seventh, and $426,262 in its eighth.

Outside the US and Canada, the film earned $6.9 million in its opening weekend, including $3.5 million in South Korea, $2.1 million in Japan, and $600,000 in Indonesia. In its second weekend, the film made $14.1 million from 22 markets. In Taiwan, the film opened with $2.8 million, making it the fourth-best opening of 2021 in the country. In its third weekend, the film earned $13.4 million, including $1.6 million from Germany, where it debuted in second place at the box office. The film made $10.2 million in its fourth weekend, $6.2 million in its fifth, $4.2 million in its sixth, and $2.7 million in its seventh.

Audience viewership

According to 'Samba TV', 2.2 million US households watched 'The King's Man' during its first four days streaming.

Critical response



The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Ralph Fiennes' solid central performance in 'The King's Man' is done dirty by this tonally confused prequel's descent into action thriller tedium." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 77% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Possible sequel



Matthew Vaughn stated that if a sequel were to be developed, he would like to see the story about the first decade of the Kingsman agency with all characters that the audience sees at the end. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he said:

References




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