Kick Ass

Ever since I was a young boy, I have dreamed of being a hero. The hours I spent with a bully’s foot on my throat while others stood unable or unwilling to help, the days spent hiding in my room from an abusive sister and alcoholic parents, the years of relying on the generosity of others in order to survive – the idea that I might be able to save someone else who felt the despair I knew all too well, made the helplessness easier to bear.

Kick Ass is a teenage action/comedy that asks the question – why don’t people try to become super heroes in real life? Why do we think we have to be bitten by a radioactive spider or have an alien fall from the sky in order to save us? Tired of being invisible, Dave Lizewski takes it upon himself to stand up and say enough is enough. He orders a wetsuit and mask online that makes him look like a sausage sponsored by John Deere and takes to the streets to fight crime.

What special skills does he have to make him a super hero? Well, um, none actually. Just the will to do it. His first rescue is predictably bad and very nearly kills him. Rather than discourage him, he learns that getting stabbed and run over by a car has damaged his nerve endings which means he feels no pain. Courage mixed with the absence of skill is a dangerous combination but in short order, Dave’s alter ego Kick Ass becomes a YouTube sensation and a legend is born. This draws attention of all kinds – the local crime lord is on a mission to murder him, kids his age are on a mission to worship him, and an actual crime fighting duo are on a mission to develop his skills.

And here we get to the highlight of Kick Ass. The true stars of this film are Chloe Moretz as Hitgirl and Nicholas Cage as Big Daddy. Chloe plays an 11 year old ass kicking dynamo who curses like a sailor and is tutored in rather shocking and horrific ways by her father. They are driven by revenge and are out to take down the criminal enterprise run by the deliciously malevolent Mark Strong.

I loved this movie. I loved the writing by Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman – it is sadly uncommon to see teenagers written so well in an action movie. I loved Nicholas Cage’s homage to Adam West whenever he dons his Batmanesque super hero garb. The performances all round were solid. The movie has a fantastic pace, McLovin as a double dealing douchebag in a sexy red sports car ... but mostly, Chloe Moretz. Her athleticism, the courage it took to take her character as far as she took it (both as an actor and as filmmakers, this was a ballsy choice). The scene’s epic final battle was beautifully shot and directed and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the casting choices.

This movie, as great as I think it is, will not appeal to everyone. Watching Mark Strong towering over a 13 year old girl and trying to punch a hole in her face is pretty shocking to see. It’s also rather jarring to see someone so young and sweet looking toss around a word like cunt, but it was so worth it. This is not a family friendly movie at all, and I think the subversive /bad influence streak adds to it’s appeal to me.

I rate Kick Ass 8 out of 10