The King’s Man (15)

When a group of villains devises a plot to kill millions around the world, a nobleman and his protégée must step up to stop them. Gemma Arterton, Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson star in this action-packed prequel to the acclaimed Kingsman film series.

As the First World War grips Britain, countless men ready themselves for a battle like no other. But real power is not found running off to war. Real power, instead, lies in understanding who it is you’re truly fighting.

The Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) is leagues away from the devastation, yet he’s hardly cowering in his stately home. Amid the chaos of international politics, the Duke is fighting the war on a different front: as a top-secret member of the world’s first independent intelligence agency alongside fellow agents Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou).

While governments are squabbling and waiting for orders, the undercover operatives are quick to act when they learn that a group of wicked tyrants and criminal masterminds, including the quick-footed Russian Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), are devising a villainous plot to wipe out millions.

Recruiting a young soldier, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), to become a King’s Man, the Duke trains his protégée in the murky art of espionage in the hope of passing on the mantle.

Armed and ready in a race against time, the pair of gentlemen must step up and prove their character in the face of a dastardly evil.

This action-packed comedy is set nearly 100 years before the events of the acclaimed Kingsman film series, and stars Gemma Arterton (The Escape, The Girl With All The Gifts, Quantum of Solace), Ralph Fiennes (Hail, Caesar!, Spectre, The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Harris Dickinson (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Trust, Beach Rats). The Kings Man is directed by Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Layer Cake), the same man who’s called the shots on all previous Kingsman films.

Cert: 15

Running time: 2hs 11mins