Cast: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz Plasse, Mark Strong, Michael Rispoli; Director: Matthew Vaughn; Producers: Adam Bohling, Tarquin Pack, Brad Pitt, David Reid, Kris Thykier, Matthew Vaughn; Screenwriters: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn; Music: Marius De Vries, Ilan Eshkeri, Henry Jackman, John Murphy; Editor: Eddie Hamilton, Jon Harris, Pietro Scalia; Genre: Action/ Crime Sotory: Cinematography: Ben Davis; Distributor: Lionsgate; Location: USA; Running Time: 117 min.;Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above
Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is an unnoticed lackluster high school student much addicted to comics. He dreams of becoming a superhero and calls himself “Kick- Ass”, though he has no superpowers, no special training or skills. He dons a superhero costume and patrols some seedy neighbourhoods where he prevents thieves from plying their trade and gets beaten and stabbed instead. Meanwhile Damon (Nicolas Cage), a cop who was framed and imprisoned through the machinations of Frank d’ Amico (Mark Strong), the crime czar, has been released from prison and has been preparing to eliminate organized crime and evil. After building an arms arsenal and training his eleven-year old daughter Mindy in martial arts and the use of weapons, Damon now assumes the identity of the superhero “Big Daddy” and Mindy is called “Hit Girl”. The duo become a deadly fighting machine hitting the crime empire of Frank d’ Amico. To catch the superheroes, including “Kick-Ass”, who has earned some fame through the help of “Big Daddy” and “Hit Girl”, Frank’s young son Chris (Christopher Mintz Plasse) takes on the identity of ‘Red Mist”, a self proclaimed superhero. “Red Mist” sees “Kick-Ass” in costume and befriends him, being a fellow superhero. How will the “superheroes” and anti-hero fare in the end?
Kick-Ass is the latest screen adaption of a comic book written by Mark Millar and John S. Ramita, Jr. Said to be a faithful reproduction of the comic book, the movie is fully packed with action and brutal violence to the nth degree. As in most action pictures, there is not much of a story or plot. The narrative line is there to hang the actions on. The photography captures efficiently the guts and gore in the well orchestrated fight scenes. At the start, when ‘Kick-Ass” begins narrating the story of his life, everything seems quiet and uneventful. But soon the tension mounts with the introduction of Big Daddy’s training of Hit Girl where the latter has to overcome her fear even when shot at point blank range with live bullets (she wears a bullet proof vest). “Hit Girl” becomes a formidable one-girl killing machine near the end when she massacres scores of well armed gangsters with precision and finesse, without feeling or compunction, like she were targeting figures in a TV games. Unbelievable one may say but she succeeds in holding the viewers attention and not because of her appealing presence as eleven year old ordinary girl Mindy. In spite of his fighting prowess, Nicolas Cage comes across as a poignant character after his sad past. Christopher Mintz Plasse as the affected, smug, self- satisfied son of his gangster father delivers on his role. Languagr is frequently vulgar and the depiction of sex scenes is in bad taste, to say the least.
Kick-Ass may be considered exciting entertainment especially by action film aficionados but that does not make it good entertainment for all, especially the impressionable young movie audience. It is true that the theme is laudable, the desire of even ordinary citizens to try to eliminate crime and evil, even in the face of much danger and formidable forces of the enemy. Also, the depiction of relationship like that between father and daughter (Cage and Chloe Moretz) is tender and affectionate though one would wonder if a father who so loves his daughter would expose her to so much danger in that early age and train her in the lethal “art” of killing instead of sending her to school and letting her enjoy her childhood. The relationship also of the crime czar and his son looks fine and here no one notices the efforts of the father not to let his son know of his immoral business though at the end, he uses him for his ends. The film may have some positive values but these cannot overturn the pervading objectionable features of the film. Kick-Ass goes overboard in its violence, so brutal, gory and ruthless. One may have been entertained by the expertise of the gifted Chloe Moretz in fighting the evil elements but on reflection, one is disturbed that a child can be so used and trained to kill without any emotion, qualms or regret. The film will desensitize the young to brutality and cruelty and, who knows might encourage other children to follow the footsteps of “Hit Girl”. The film is awash with gross language. Sex which should be considered a beautiful thing, something to bond people in love, is here degraded. The depiction of the sex scenes with the frontal baring and mashing of breasts is not only in had taste but also they are immoral. Drug use especially by children is objectionable. This film should be seen only by mature audiences, at least 18 years of age.
