SXSW Review: KICK ASS

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is your average, middle-of-the-road nobody with a small entourage of nobody friends, invisible to girls and a prime target for bullies and teenage thugs. Beneath his seemingly harmless exterior, a drive to help others and make the world a safer place leads Dave to ask one question:

Why hasn’t anyone ever tried to be a super hero?

Dave is the last guy anyone would suspect to be a super hero, much in the same way Peter Parker was clearly the opposite of what one would expect a super hero to be. This works to his advantage for secrecy, but he soon learns being a hero also means taking a beating. In a strange twist of fate, a near death beating ultimately provides Dave a medical advantage in his heroic endeavors.

KICK ASS is a film based on the comic books created by Mark Millar, which he revealed after the screening was inspired by his own childhood contemplations strikingly similar to those of Dave’s. Matthew Vaughn (LAYER CAKE, STARDUST) directed this comic book movie, a film that is almost as amusing as it is, well…kick ass! For those who have read the comic books, the above statements will come as no surprise. KICK ASS will surely satisfy fans of the comic books, staying true to the overall theme and many of the key details with only a few deviations of note.

I will no longer use the term “kick ass” to describe this movie, as its obvious, cliched and most importantly, deserving of a more detailed explanation. KICK ASS has plenty of humor, but is surprisingly not strictly a comedy. In fact, the movie far better fits the classification of a hardcore, R-rated action movie.

The “R” – for those who give a rat’s ass about the MPAA – is very much a product of both language and graphic, violent action, much of which comes from the pre-teen character Hit Girl, played by Chloe Moretz. Perhaps the best part of KICK ASS, Moretz offers over-the-top action galore, amazing comic book action stunts, fight scenes and weapons proficiency. If she were to keep up her training, Moretz could literally have a good shot at being the western hemispheres first female action star since, say, Cynthia Rothrock?

Hit Girl’s father Big Daddy (Nic Cage) has trained her well, creating a powerfully non-super powered vigilante duo out to rid the city of criminals. Especially key to the father-daughter agenda is the removal of crime boss Frank D’Amico, played by Mark Strong (SHERLOCK HOLMES).

Nicolas Cage is a riot, one part well-mannered father and ex-cop and one part merciless vigilante with an alter ego likened to that of Adam West’s Batman. After seeing KICK ASS, it would be difficult to imagine anyone else filling Big Daddy’s black cape and body armor any better. Likewise, Mark Strong plays a slightly more subdued, but sinister crime boss and arch-nemesis, somewhat oblivious at first to Big Daddy’s vendetta. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (SUPER BAD) plays D’Amic’s son, who dawns the alter ego of Red Mist as a way to vie for his father’s attention and convince him to bring him into the family business.

While there’s not a significant underlying theme, the moral of the story remains consistent with the idea that we can all do more to help make the world a better place. In reality, isn’t that the ultimate theme of all super hero stories? On some minor level, KICK ASS is a loving parody of comic book movies, respectfully poking fun with inside jokes and details not likely to be caught by those outside of the comic book subculture.

Vaughn has managed to create a film that is stronger than it appears on the surface, displaying a keen sense of direction, especially within the realm of action. Killer fight sequences abound, brimming with high-octane energy. Vaughn’s choice of music for these scenes (strike that, for the entire film) are perfectly symbiotic, conjuring nostalgia and emotional ambiance alike.

Overall, KICK ASS is am enjoyable ride that focuses on one otherwise invisible kid’s dream to be something more. Dave Lewinski is a character we can all relate to on some level, making him an easy hero to root for, an everyman without super powers or massive bank accounts, a kid who wants to do more in life.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars