“Kick Ass,” a slash-and-bash comedy, is irreverent, shocking, ultra-violent and wildly entertaining, but isn’t for everyone. Everything is over the top, from Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), a murderous 11-year old who swears while she slices and dices to teen Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a comic book geek who decides to don a suit and do heroic things. Things don’t go well for Dave his first time out and he’s seriously injured. Ever optimistic, Dave tries again with his efforts captured on video and posted on the web. Soon ‘Kick Ass’ is getting requests for help. Meanwhile, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and his daughter, Hit Girl, are after the city’s main gangster (Mark Strong), who framed Big Daddy and sent him to prison. They know Kick Ass has his heart in the right place, but he’s a rank amateur when it comes to fighting villains.
Director Matthew Vaughn has created an absurdist tone similar to the one in “Zombieland,” relying on shock value, especially from Hit Girl. He gradually builds brutality and violence so when the big climactic fight scene occurs, you’re surprised, but not really. Cage’s Big Daddy is a bit crazy to turn his young daughter into a killing machine, but not crazy enough to make him unlikable. Aaron Johnson, a British TV actor, is effective as an ordinary teen who wants to make a difference. But Chloe Moritz is the one you’ll remember; she steals the show. “Kick Ass,” rated R for violence and profanity, dissects the superhero genre and creates a guilty pleasure. 4/16/10
1 comment:
Interesting premise in the era of super hero movies we have a "tongue in cheek" version. Chloe Moretz completely steals the show as "Hit Girl", the 11 year old, who shows the grownups how to do it. She has been trained by "Big Daddy" (her father) since birth how to fight and shoot so that he, "Big Daddy", can exact his revenge for being framed. Good movie!
Post a Comment