The Big Short is a biographical comedy-drama directed by Adam McKay, with a screenplay by McKay and Charles Randolph, which is adapted from Michael Lewis’s book of the same name. Set during the financial crisis in 2007–08, the film follows a group of brilliant men who discover that the global economy is on the brink of collapse. In order to push the market to its brink to bring attention to the downright fraudulent activity being conducted by Wall Street’s biggest banks, these men decide to do what no one else would ever dream of: bet against the housing market.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that a movie about the housing-market collapse would be so amazing, but The Big Short is just that. Many films have been made about the infamous financial crisis of 2007–08, including one of the best films from 2011, J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call. The problem with most of those movies, including Margin Call, is that most of the time, you really have zero clue what is going on. Why? Because financial jargon is ridiculously confusing and nonsensical at times. 
This is where The Big Short blows every film about the most recent financial crisis out of the water. Don’t get me wrong—The Big Short definitely still features some convoluted financial lingo, but it is writer/director Adam McKay’s method for making this complex subject understandable to the average layperson that makes the film so brilliant. He dumbs the subject matter down but never in a condescending manner—it is instead enjoyable and exciting. McKay perfectly utilizes the film technique known as “breaking the fourth wall.” In order to make this intricately dense subject comprehensible, his characters speak directly to the audience. Early on, Ryan Gosling’s character breaks the fourth wall to tell us, “I’m guessing most of you still don’t know what really happened? Yeah, you’ve got a sound bite you repeat so you don’t sound dumb but c’mon.” It’s true—most people watching don’t know what all really happened. Throughout the film, McKay uses famous celebrities in cameo roles to break the fourth wall and explain preposterously baffling financial terms to us. 
Margot Robbie is featured in a bubble bath sipping champagne as she breaks down “sub-prime loans,” and Selena Gomez is later shown at a poker table in Las Vegas to explain what a “synthetic collateralized debt obligation” is. These brief vignettes work—they dumb down the terminology for us so that throughout the rest of the film, we can completely understand what is going on when those financial words are referred to. McKay and co-writer Charles Randolph’s strategy is incredible, and it makes this movie so much fun to watch.
Although this film is hilarious throughout, the third act puts everything into perspective: This story is, first and foremost, a heartbreaking tragedy. Adam McKay is the comedic genius behind iconic comedies like Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers, so he obviously has a knack for humor. In The Big Short, he brings those deft comedic chops to the table dexterously. But I was most incredibly impressed with how he, as a proven comedic filmmaker, handled the brutally dramatic reality of the financial collapse. The movie made me laugh, but it also made me angry. I found myself bouncing between happiness and sadness throughout. During the film, you see the deceptive behavior conducted on Wall Street, and you want to see those guys suffer. When McKay’s characters come into the fold with the genius “big short” idea, you root for these guys. You want to see them succeed in their risky investments. 
But one scene towards the end with Brad Pitt summed up the true message of the film flawlessly. While Pitt’s character’s associates are celebrating the fact that their bet appears to be paying off (while the audience was internally cheering, too), Pitt reminds them what their success really means: “If we’re right, people lose homes. People lose jobs. People lose retirement savings. People lose pensions.” At one of the film’s highest points, this quote brings it all crashing down to the floor—this crisis ruined people’s lives. As mentioned above, this truly brings everything into perspective.
Another amazing aspect of The Big Short is the acting. Wow, McKay assembled an incredible cast. Christian Bale has garnered the most attention, as he has received a wealth of nominations at major award shows this season, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He plays the real-life Dr. Michael Burry, an antisocial hedge fund manager who initially conceives the idea of “the big short.” Bale is obviously one of the best actors in the game, and I admit, he was spot-on in his portrayal; however, I thought he gave the third-best performance of the film. The top two acting performances in my mind were Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. 
Carell plays Mark Baum, a character based on the real-life Steve Eisman. The character is bitterly angry all of the time at the big banks, and he receives his calling in life to participate in “the big short” because he can once and for all stick it to the guys he sees as society’s real criminals. Carell was fantastic last year in his Oscar-nominated role in Foxcatcher, but for me, this was his greatest acting achievement. 
My favorite performance, though, was Ryan Gosling as Jared Vennett, a character based on the real-life Greg Lippmann. Vennett is a talented bond salesman for Deutsche Bank who, like Dr. Burry, makes the decision to short collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). His character is a cynical greaseball, but all the while charming. Gosling brings his heartthrob persona to this character brilliantly, and he definitely gives a performance that should have resulted in an Oscar nomination. The Big Short is rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity.
The Big Short trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgqG3ITMv1Q
Academy Award nominations for The Big Short:
Best Picture (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Brad Pitt)
Best Director (Adam McKay)
Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Adam McKay and Charles Randolph)
Best Film Editing (Hank Corwin)
Previous movies on the countdown of the Top 15 Films of 2015:
- Sicario
- Ex Machina
- Spotlight
- Straight Outta Compton
- Kingsman: The Secret Service
- Steve Jobs
- Creed
- ’71
- Room
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Beasts of No Nation
- The Martian
George Miller is the Australian director behind the original Mad Max trilogy, as well as Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two. During this awards season, George Miller has already garnered the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Director. Miller was previously nominated for four Oscars: Best Original Screenplay (Lorenzo’s Oil), Best Adapted Screenplay (Babe), Best Animated Feature (Happy Feet), and Best Picture (Babe). Of those four nomination, Miller has just one Oscar win: Best Animated Feature for Happy Feet.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a renowned Mexican filmmaker—he is the visionary behind the Oscar-winning film Birdman and the celebrated “Death Trilogy” (Amores perros, 21 Grams, Babel). During this awards season, Iñárritu has already won the BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Director. Iñárritu has been previously nominated for seven Oscars: twice for Best Foreign Language Film (Amores perros and Biutiful), twice for Best Director (Babel and Birdman), once for Best Original Screenplay (Birdman), and twice for Best Picture (Babel and Birdman). Of those seven nominations, he has won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for Birdman.
Lenny Abrahamson is an Irish film director—he has previously directed What Richard Did (2012) and Frank (2014). In addition to his nomination for Room, Abrahamson has additionally been nominated for Best Director at the Irish Film & Television Awards and Satellite Awards. Abrahamson has never previously been nominated for an Academy Award in any category.
Adam McKay is an American filmmaker, renowned for writing and directing critically acclaimed comedies, such as Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and additionally producing such comedies as The Campaign, Tammy, Welcome to Me, and Get Hard. In addition to the Oscars, McKay has been nominated for Best Director at the BAFTAs and Directors Guild of America. He has also earned nominations in the Best Adapted Screenplay category at the Oscars and Golden Globes, while also winning the award at the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards, and the Writers Guild of America Awards. McKay has never previously been nominated for an Academy Award.
Tom McCarthy is an American actor, writer, and director. In his acting capacity, he is best known as Dr. Bob Banks in the Meet the Parents trilogy. He is a critically acclaimed director for films such as The Station Agent (2003) and The Visitor (2007). Additionally, he is an accomplished writer, penning scripts for the previously two named films, as well as the Oscar-nominated Up (2009). In fact, Up is his lone previous Oscar nomination (Best Original Screenplay). This awards season, McCarthy won the Best Director award at the Satellite Awards.
This film is not about the US’s “war on drugs.” Sicario is 100% about the drug war—a meticulous difference that must be recognized. This subject matter has become more and more popular for the film industry in recent memory, but that was not always the case. In 2000, Steven Soderbergh gave us Traffic, an Oscar-winning film that broke new ground as it pertained to the drug-cartel crisis at the border; however now, in present day, this topic is seen quite often. In 2013, there was the critically acclaimed documentary Narco Cultura, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. And aside from Sicario, 2015 also brought us Cartel Land, a gripping documentary about vigilante groups on each side of the border fighting back against the cartels—this film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. I mention the recent history of this genre to highlight the fact that director Denis Villeneuve does not tackle some innovative topic with Sicario. However, this film quickly became one of my absolute favorites from the year because Villeneuve and his cinematographer (Roger Deakins) have made the trek to the well of Mexican-American drug-war films and come back with a unique perspective that is both spine tingling and visually stunning.
Villeneuve and Deakins begin the film with incredibly horrific images, and these same types of gruesome illustrations are pervasive throughout. We see the walls in a seemingly empty house on the Arizona-Mexico border torn down to reveal tens of dead bodies; when the task force strolls through downtown Juarez, dead bodies hang from bridges. These moments set the tone for Villeneuve’s film. We as Americans have many anxieties and speculative expectations about our border relations with Mexico as they relate to the drug war—via these visceral images, Villeneuve and Deakins validate those fears. This is war; it is real, and it is not pretty! Another aspect of the film that stands out is its take on deceit and duality. 
With the exception of Kate, it is difficult to pinpoint or even comprehend the characters’ motives. It is never revealed who Matt Graver even really works for—he is a “special agent,” but for who? And Alejandro is as enigmatic as they come. Villeneuve previously tackled morally duplicitous characters in Prisoners (2013), but he expands upon that examination with far more depth in Sicario. All in all, Villeneuve crafts an inimitable vision in Sicario, and cinematographer Roger Deakins paints that picture with his camera in the most instinctive ways possible.
The acting in Sicario is absolutely first-rate. The stars are an incredibly talented trio: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. Brolin portrays special agent Matt Graver, a seemingly relaxed soldier who has apparently found his calling in the drug war. When he first meets Kate, he strolls into FBI offices wearing the epitome of casual dress: flip-flops. Behind his laid-back exterior, though, is a menacing man—Matt takes his actual work serious, and if you are not on board, then in his mind, GTFO! Brolin has made a pretty solid career out of playing this type of character—the ostensible douche—but that is because he is such a talented actor. I always bought into Brolin in this role, and although his significance is laconic, his performance is adroit.
The film’s best performances come from Blunt and del Toro. Emily Blunt is by far one of my favorite actresses (she is incredibly talented and undeniably fetching), and in 2014, she made her mark as a cinematic badass with her role as Sergeant Rita Vrataski in Edge of Tomorrow. That performance gained her action-star credibility, but her character could not be more different in Sicario. Kate Macer plays by the rules. She needs formulaic process and boundaries. She needs a clear-cut objective. Thus, Kate is in for a rude awakening when her mission with Matt and Alejandro blurs the mechanical lines she so desperately requires. In one scene, Kate asks Matt, “What’s our objective?” Matt responds, “To dramatically overreact.” This really is the task, and it makes Kate uncomfortable. In another scene, Kate discusses tracking down the leader of the cartels, to which Alejandro responds, “Every day I cross that border, people are kidnapped with or killed with his blessing. To find him would be like discovering a vaccine.” 
In this moment, Kate realizes not only the gravity of her mission, but also the confliction of it—the drug cartels keep these task forces in business, so at some point they are necessary. Although I initially thought Blunt’s character was a bit too dry and unappealing, I now realize how important she is. Blunt’s performance was not showy and dramatic—the kind that will garner you Oscars. But she was calculated—effective and honest. Blunt succeeded in that endeavor. 
As far as Benicio del Toro, he absolutely should have been nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The complexity of his character required not panache, but enigma; it needed not loquaciousness, but quiet subtleties. Del Toro delivered with perfection. Two scenes stood out for me in regards to his performance. At one point in the film, there is a wildly gripping moment during a traffic jam on the drive back to the US from Mexico. As the tension builds, Alejandro is at the center of the commotion. Benicio del Toro thrived in this moment. Additionally, the climax of the film (which I will not spoil here) features del Toro at his best—that one scene makes the entire viewing experience worth it! Sicario is rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and language.
This movie is not your run-of-the-mill sci-fi. This movie is an experience unlike many others I’ve ever had—it’s a psychological thriller that is more of a character study than anything else. I have enjoyed a range of other “artificial intelligence” films in the past, such as Steven Spielberg’s A.I. (2001) and I, Robot (2004), but those movies never quite accomplished what Ex Machina has—in my opinion, the depth and genius of Ex Machina starts with writer/director Alex Garland. Garland cemented himself in the industry with his striking screenplay for the horror film 28 Days Later (2002), and in that script, he created one of the finest films in the horror genre; however, his story never became too “tropey,” meaning it never seemed cliché. In Ex Machina, he has done the same thing—only better! The plot of the film leaves the door wide open for a filmmaker to shell out the same boring motifs that already saturate this genre. Thankfully, Garland avoided this temptation and delivered a film that this genre should look to as the modern standard.
I do not want to sugarcoat anything—the film definitely gets incredibly philosophical, pondering what really makes us human. It is a lofty idea to conceptualize, but Garland does so in stunning fashion. His visuals are remarkable (Ava was part live-action and part-CGI), and his characters are even more spectacular. For starters, Ava’s entire existence and ability to learn how to interact like a human sets the tone for the twists, turns, and overall message of Garland’s film. She constantly poses thought-provoking questions to Caleb during his “Turing Test” research. Little by little, these questions create struggles for Caleb that manifest in him questioning his true role in Nathan’s experiment—he especially wonders about his very own existence. 
Speaking of Nathan, he is the most captivating character for me. He is a billionaire tech-genius with seemingly enough resources to live a lavish life. But the lavishness is not what one would imagine—he lives in a beautiful home (which doubles as a research facility), but he is completely secluded from the real world. In this home he is imprisoned, both mentally and physically, and he appears to be nothing more than a reclusive savant/madman. He claims to create Ava for purely scientific purposes, but it is apparent that his motivations are to create the perfect woman—this is his downfall.
Aside from Garland’s filmmaking vision, Ex Machina impresses from an acting standpoint. I am a huge fan of Domhnall Gleeson—he is incredibly charismatic in every role he takes on, but in Ex Machina, he ends up being more of a placeholder than anything else. It is worth noting that although Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac outperform Gleeson, this is not due to the latter’s own acting abilities, but instead the fact that Garland left the real story arcs to Ava and Nathan. Vikander nails her portrayal of Ava with grace, yet mystery. Playing a robot-like character is a tall task for any actor, but Vikander succeeds by delivering a perfect character equilibrium—Ava is not too robotic, but not too human, either. Vikander broke out as an actress in 2015, but despite the Oscar nomination for The Danish Girl, this, in my opinion, was her best performance from the past year. As alluded to earlier, I was exceptionally fascinated by Oscar Isaac’s performance as Nathan. He makes hilariously dry jokes and drinks copious amounts of alcohol—Isaac thrives off his character’s apparent charm. But at the same time, Nathan is demented and scary. This two-faced personality profile makes Nathan a character that cannot be trusted, even by the viewer—you never know if Nathan is showing his true colors. 
Oscar Isaac also helmed my favorite scene from the film. At a critical point in the movie where Caleb’s trust in Nathan is rapidly waning, Nathan’s assistant (Sonoya Mizuno) starts to dance on Nathan’s command. Nathan tells Caleb to dance with her, but Caleb has no interest—he wants to speak one-on-one with Nathan and question him about Ava. While asking Nathan what he was doing with Ava, Caleb says, “You tore up her picture.” Without missing a beat, Nathan pompously boasts, “I’m gonna tear up the fucking dance floor, dude, check it out.” Not taking Caleb seriously, Nathan and his assistant then proceed to engage in one of the greatest dance scenes in film history—far and away my favorite moment! Ex Machina is rated R for graphic nudity, language, sexual references, and some violence.
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road (John Seale)
Spotlight is sad, angering, and despicable at times—that is what makes it so incredibly compelling. The Catholic Church has immense power and prominence worldwide, but the fact that this story takes place in Boston is vital—the Catholic Church is a way of life in Boston, just like the Red Sox and clam chowder. In the film, the Globe’s new editor Marty Baron kicks off the investigation, and the journalists are initially thrown off—characters question Baron vigorously about whether it is such a good idea to take on the Catholic Church in a community where that institution permeates everyday life. Throughout the investigation, citizens of Boston—including lawyers, members of the Church, and even victims of sexual abuse from Boston priests—are hesitant to speak with the “Spotlight” team, and some are even downright appalled that this story is even a thing. It is against this backdrop that makes Spotlight such an important film: Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church runs rampant, and yet, as contemptible as it sounds, everyone who denies the graveness of the scandal becomes complicit in its cover up.
Although Spotlight is by far one of the best movies from 2015, I do not credit Tom McCarthy with much of its success as a director (he did co-write the script, which is impressive). I know, this sounds like a pretty bold and cynical statement considering McCarthy received an Oscar nomination for Best Director (I assure you, he does not deserve the nomination—especially since The Martian’s Ridley Scott was left out of the category in a year when he absolutely deserved to be included), but Spotlight thrives off its screenplay and story. Visually, there is nothing that jumps out as unique; the camerawork is simple and McCarthy’s direction is minimal. 
Spotlight makes its mark due to its remarkable script, written by McCarthy and Josh Singer. The story is gripping, and the screenplay reads like a thriller at times. With every passing moment, the substance of the film grows more sickening, and it is this tough-to-stomach plotline that keeps you on the edge of your seat. McCarthy (as a writer) and Singer rely on their award-winning source material to guide this film, and they do so with marvelous precision.
Despite the fact that the film succeeds due to its heavy reliance on the story, a talented ensemble cast carries out this triumph dexterously. The film features great performances from Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci. However, the best performances come from 
Ruffalo plays Michael Rezendes, a “Spotlight” reporter whose unyielding efforts to take on the Catholic Church provided some of the most noteworthy insights into the scandal. Ruffalo is a masterful actor, and his portrayal of Rezendes earned him his third Oscar nomination in six years. McAdams delivers my favorite performance in the film as Sacha Pfeiffer, another “Spotlight” reporter. 
Pfeiffer’s character has one of the more fundamental, yet complex character arcs, and McAdams excels in her portrayal. Pfeiffer’s grandmother is a devout Catholic, and Sacha attends mass with her regularly. This storyline delineates the constant confliction McAdams’s character faces—how can she reconcile her loyalty to her grandmother with her determination to take down the Church as a disreputable institution? McAdams flourishes in this role. Spotlight is rated R for some language including sexual references.
From the moment I found out that a project was in the works to bring the story of N.W.A. to the silver screen, I was captivated. The preeminent gangsta-rap group, which was founded in the mid-1980s, was more than just a fivesome of rappers (I say “five” because credited member Arabian Prince only appeared on one song from the Straight Outta Compton album and was hardly featured in the film); it was a collective of youths, determined to convey to the world the story of the dangers of growing up in the hood. Despite being met with critical and commercial success, the group’s eponymous debut album was subjected to stark criticism from an abundance of powerful groups, including the US Senate and Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
The lyrics were incredibly profane, derogatory, and aggressive towards the police; it was this content that garnered the group and its debut album such disparagement. In fact, one of the premier tracks on the group’s debut album was titled, “Fuck tha Police,” which featured lyrics that addressed police brutality and racial profiling. Although the “authorities” were not fans, this song epitomized the political message behind N.W.A.’s existence as artists: People need to know what really goes on—what you do not see on the news. As relevant as this message was at the time—nearly thirty years ago—the film’s release has an analogous significance now, as in 2016, we are still battling significantly hostile race issues. N.W.A. was more than a rap group that ultimately crashed and burned—it was the voice of a generation.
Director F. Gary Gray and his team of filmmakers have crafted in Straight Outta Compton more than another cliché biopic—this film is flat-out incredible. I have become so sick of most biopics because they simply pander and bore, delineating nothing more than the fact that filmmakers can follow a strict template of melodramatic, insincere, and unaffecting drivel. Straight Outta Compton is so great because it takes this monotonous formula and flips it on its head with vivacity. The film features numerous “action” scenes of police hostility and brutality, and the ways in which Gray and his cinematographer (Matthew Libatique) portray these atrocious images is unrelenting—they make you feel as if you are living these cruel moments along with the characters. 
I also loved the scenes of the group’s creative process. As a fan of rap music, and especially N.W.A., it was an unexplainable treat to watch legends like Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and Eazy-E artistically craft of the greatest albums in the history of music. The camerawork is always visually appealing, and Libatique and Gray captured the group’s chemistry with dynamism.
The acting in the film was superb—I am not sure the filmmakers could have created a more cohesive group. Although it was great to see Ice Cube’s very own son—O’Shea Jackson, Jr.—portraying him, the stars of the picture were, without a doubt, Paul Giamatti and Jason Mitchell. Giamatti portrayed Jerry Heller, a notorious music manager and businessman who co-founded Ruthless Records with Eazy-E. Heller was hired by Eazy-E to manage N.W.A., and he was a key figure in the group’s initial success. However, much controversy surrounded Heller’s tactics, as members of the group viewed him as a guy who was truly only looking out for he and Eazy-E’s best interests (and in the end, his devotion to Eazy-E was suspect). 
Heller was an angry and vicious man at times, but he also had a lighter side, especially regarding his heartfelt relationship with Eazy-E; Giamatti, as a veteran actor, absolutely nailed this portrayal. Giamatti’s deftness for his craft is undeniable, and, considering the film’s cast was mainly a group of young, up-and-coming actors, it was the perfect set of circumstances for Giamatti to make his mark. The film’s best performance, however, came from Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E. The story, although about the rise and fall of the group in general, revolves around his character. Eazy-E is the true beginning, middle, and end of the group’s story. He is the one that funded the group’s upstart and acted as the “lead.” He is the one who ultimately was at the center of the group’s demise, due to his relationship with Heller. And his HIV-diagnosis and subsequent death is what ended the chances for a potential reunion of the group.
Eazy-E’s story arc is incredibly dynamic, and it was a tall task for Mitchell to take on—Mitchell took on the challenge and succeeded beyond measurability. Mitchell portrays his character as an incredible complex guy—one who has lived the “thug life” and puts on a hard exterior, but who also has a wildly sensitive/emotional side. Jason Mitchell’s delineation of this larger-than-life figure was amazing, and I truly believe he was absolutely snubbed by the Academy in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Director Matthew Vaughn is the filmmaking genius behind one of my favorite comic-inspired action films of all time, 2010’s Kick-Ass. That film was filled with non-stop action and hilarious banter, not to mention a superfluity of profanity-laced dialogue. Vaughn adapted Kick-Ass from a comic series of the same name by author Mark Millar. In addition to creating the Kick-Ass series, Millar has penned the comic series Wanted (which was adapted into a film starring Angelina Jolie) and The Secret Service, the latter of which served as the source material for Kingsman. In his latest film, Vaughn has delivered his greatest filmmaking achievement yet—in fact, Kingsman grossed over $414 million worldwide, which made it Vaughn’s most commercially successful film. This film is obviously not one that is contending for any major accolades, but I assure you, it is some of the most fun you will have watching a movie!
Kingsman always knows what it is as a movie, and it thrives off never taking itself too seriously. Much like 2015’s Spy (starring Melissa McCarthy)—but done so far more magnificently—Kingsman straddles the line between the James Bond film series and Austin Powers. The film is never so serious as to be a real Bond thriller, but it also never completely sells itself out as a full-blown parody—Kingsman strikes a happy medium between the two. In one scene, Eggsy is asked how he would like his martini prepared, and he replies, “With gin…stirred for ten seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth.” The line is entertaining, as it puts a cheeky twist on Bond’s infamous “Vesper Lynd” drink. Aside from the film’s sidesplitting repartee and vintage spy reverences, the action is out of this world. 
As the film progresses, its action sequences get more and more over the top—yet, it works, simply because the film never takes itself too seriously. One of the biggest set pieces is one of the most epic brawls/massacres you will ever see in a movie, all triggered by the villain’s lethal SIM-card plot. The scene is bloody, filled with blockbuster combat, and takes place in a church, nonetheless. It is madly exaggerated, yet it is one of the best things I saw all year—pure entertainment at its finest.
Kingsman boasts a wildly impressive cast, which is one of its most noteworthy feats. Colin Firth stars as Harry Hart (codename Galahad; all the Kingsman agents have knights-of-the-round-table names), and at first glance, the character is as archetypal as it gets for Firth. He wears a nice suit, speaks in proper English, and does not appear to have a violent bone in his body—and then the action starts! I was quite impressed with Firth’s portrayal of his character as one of the biggest badasses in the film—in one scene, he defeats an entire gang of hooligan-like gentlemen in a bar…with only an umbrella! In addition, newcomer Taron Egerton (who will star in Eddie the Eagle in 2016) fills the role of the snot-nosed, temperamental young recruit quite well. He has a certain charisma about him, and he holds his own next to the Oscar-winning Firth. 
The film also features solid supporting performances from the legendary Oscar winner Michael Caine, Mark Strong, Sophie Cookson, and Sofia Boutella. However, the best supporting performance comes from Samuel L. Jackson. In his role as the film’s villain (Valentine), Jackson plays the character brilliantly. Valentine wears flat-billed hats cocked to the side, has a vicious thirst for blood, and hilariously speaks with a pronounced lisp—Samuel L. Jackson nails it! Kingsman: The Secret Service is rated R for sequences of strong violence, language, and some sexual content.
WINNER: Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson (Mad Max: Fury Road)
WINNER: Alex Garland (Ex Machina)
The Reel Countdown 