KICK-ASS (2010)

Despite what its opening scene may imply, Kick-Ass isn’t strictly a parody or subversion of superhero stories. This sequence, whose triumphant voice-over narration about the glory of being a real-life superhero, paired with one such example atop a giant skyscraper who spreads his wings (or that of his improvised cape), soon gives way to the sound of a sickening thud after he jumps and sinks through the air like a stone, crumpling a taxi cab. It turns out that our protagonist, teenager Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), was the one delivering this narration, while the dead body belonged to ‘some Armenian guy with a history of mental health problems’.

From here, Mathew Vaughn’s film (adapted from Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s comic-book of the same name) is keen to explore the downsides of donning a cape, taking down bad guys, and attempting to restore justice in the real world. Dave is an ordinary teenager, his defining trait being his lowly status amongst his high school’s social strata, spending most of his free time masturbating or talking about comic-books with his friends Marty (Clarke Duke) and Todd (Evan Peters). He’s no ideal superhero, but then again, neither was Peter Parker, another nerdy high schooler with a hopeless crush on the pretty, popular girl; this movie’s iteration of that is Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca), who soon becomes close friends with Dave under the false impression that he’s gay.

But while these tropes aren’t substantially different from other teen superhero media (even if shots of boxers resting at this protagonist’s heels and crumpled tissues being hurled into a wastebin are unlikely to be found in any of the Spider-Man films), Kick-Ass presents a more realistic vision of the dangers afflicting a would-be hero. This film inverts the satisfaction of beating up the bad guys and achieving success by adding a refreshing dose of (relative) realism to combat scenarios.

In his first attempt at intimidating two men who had previously mugged him and his friend, Dave initially has moderate success, but is then stabbed (and run over, but that’s another story). What follows is a slow ascent to superhero status as Dave gradually becomes Kick-Ass, with the backdrop of his everyday life and its monotony providing a bitter antidote for his crime-stopping antics. While it’s funny to watch an awkward teenager with no actual powers attempting to transform into the heroes he has idolised for years, complete with possibly the cheapest-looking outfit you could imagine, Kick-Ass is ultimately earnest, romantic even, about what it means to be a superhero.

Dave’s actions may have a comedic front, especially when he is only a fledgling hero, but as he absorbs and embodies the avatar of Kick-Ass the film replicates his hopeful view of what it means to be a symbol of hope and protector of the little guy. But it also doesn’t shy away from the thankless, selfish qualities of this role. Such heroic figures capture an innate desire to skirt society’s rules and conventions, but only so that they can enact a very specific service that benefits innocent civilians.

It’s telling that these ‘selfless’ acts are as much about punishing wrongdoers as they are about aiding their would-be victims. Punishment in superhero stories is a punch to the face, followed by a combination of swift blows delivered by someone with a keen understanding of martial arts combat. The purpose behind this role is all about getting one’s hands dirty, where the potential immorality of these acts is handwaved away for two reasons: no one gets murdered and civilians don’t get caught in the crossfire. Even though Kick-Ass presents a mostly charitable representation of a superhero by its conclusion, it isn’t willing to play nice, happily ignoring one of these golden rules.

The real-life version of a superhero would need years of pent-up anger to want to occupy that role. But who could better satisfy these demands than a teenager, who by default is already battling an uncomfortable whirlwind of emotions scarcely hidden behind an awkward demeanour? Perhaps that’s why this film is at its best right when Dave has just become Kick-Ass, expressed most purely in a scene where he fends off multiple people trying to beat someone up. When questioned by these generic thugs, his affirmation in the name of vigilantism is one of the rare moments that the film doesn’t try to be bombastic, sufficing with simply living up to its name and allowing Dave to authentically own his moniker.

Diner Fight Guy 1: The fuck is wrong with you, man? You’d rather die for some piece of shit that you don’t even fucking know?

Dave Lizewski: Than three assholes laying into one guy while everybody else watches? And you wanna know what’s wrong with me? Yeah, I’d rather die… so bring it on!

To Kick-Ass’s credit, more often than not it’s trying to be funny, and more often than not it succeeds, too. It doesn’t just get its charm from Dave’s crime-fighting antics; conversations with his comic book-obsessed friends, who supply a welcome dose of realism to this protagonist’s wistful talk of heroism, are always entertaining. The only thing holding back these scenes, as well as Dave’s high-school experience in general, is the over-exposed lighting. Since almost all of these interactions happen during the daytime, viewers must reckon with remarkably ugly lighting that inhibits distinctive colours and drowns out anything of note in the background and foreground of these scenes.

The film’s casting is ideal, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson proving perfectly believable as an unremarkable teenager with larger-than-life aspirations, who gradually comes into his own in his new identity just as it begins to fundamentally change who he is. Though it takes some time for both of them to cross paths, overarching villain Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) is portrayed with a welcome degree of nuance by Strong, who must balance being a cold-hearted mafioso with his paternal instincts.

Frank’s son, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is an ideal role for Mintz-Plasse to effortlessly convey the anguish of an acutely nerdy teen eager to impress, which he’d already perfected in the coming-of-age buddy comedy Superbad (2007). Chris is a whiny youngster who’s easy to pity, having been coddled his whole life even as the brutality of his father’s line of work surrounds him behind closed doors. Whereas this film’s protagonist genuinely transforms into a superhero, Chris is never quite able to shed his immature tendencies when he takes up the alter ego of Red Mist. It’s an enjoyable reimagining of the hero’s journey, where the spoiled kid who was never given the chance to grow out of his father’s shadow is doomed to both follow and disappoint Frank.

Discussion of this film wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), a father-and-daughter duo who also don capes and fight the bad guys. They are much more seasoned vigilantes than Kick-Ass, and also twice as ridiculous, whether that’s in Big Daddy’s odd voice (Cage was looking to pay homage to Adam West’s iteration of Batman through his vocal performance), or the fact that Hit-Girl looks like a sweet-natured child behind her mask, yet is a deadly killer when she dons it (Moretz is excellent here, even if the character’s only interesting because she’s a kid in a brutal world.) Although not as compelling to follow as this protagonist, this pair benefit from being far more distinctive, with their arrival in Dave’s life heralding in a scene more cynical and silly than anything that came before this point.

Though the duo’s presence never dilutes viewers’ intrigue in Dave’s journey, they betray this film’s most glaring flaw, where it refuses to choose between being a goofy comedy or one that transforms into something purely satisfying. In Kick-Ass’s quest for vengeance at the film’s climax, there might be outlandish moments along the way to remind viewers of the layer of comedy draped over this narrative, but these scenes are simultaneously trying to live up to the movie’s name. Moments of retribution feature action that’s mildly successful on both a comedic and serious front, but which isn’t all that resonant when the film can’t pick a lane to fall into (nor does it excel at both).

If we’re only half-heartedly interested in this protagonist’s revenge plot, no amount of ridiculous, gory action can live up to the promise of being truly badass. While this creates a muddled portrait of a superhero story that’s not quite serious and not quite a parody, the mismatched middle ground it lands on is redeemed through being consistently fun. That’s a strong enough quality to provide a solid two-hour dose of entertainment, even if Kick-Ass’s simultaneously loving and mocking approach to a well-worn genre has potential for greatness that it’s unable to access.

UK • USA | 2010 | 118 MINUTES | 2.35:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

director: Mathew Vaughn.
writers: Jane Goldman & Mathew Vaughn (based on the comic-book by Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.)
starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson (credited as Aaron Johnson), Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Strong, Nicolas Cage, Lyndsy Fonesca, Clark Duke & Evan Peters.