The King's Man

This article is about the 2021 film. For the unrelated novel, see King's Man. For other uses, see Kingsman (disambiguation).

The King's Man
File:The King's Man.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Matthew Vaughn
Produced by	Matthew Vaughn David Reid Adam Bohling
Screenplay by	Matthew Vaughn Karl Gajdusek
Story by	Matthew Vaughn
Based on	The Secret Service by Mark Millar Dave Gibbons
Starring	Ralph Fiennes Gemma Arterton Rhys Ifans Matthew Goode Tom Hollander Harris Dickinson Daniel Brühl Djimon Hounsou Charles Dance
Music by	Matthew Margeson Dominic Lewis
Cinematography	Ben Davis
Edited by	Jason Ballantine Rob Hall
Production company	Marv Studios Cloudy Productions 20th Century Studios
Distributed by	20th Century Studios
Release dates	5 December 2021 (2021-12-05) (London) 22 December 2021 (2021-12-22) (United States) 26 December 2021 (2021-12-26) (United Kingdom)
Running time	131 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$95–$100 million
Box office	$126 million

The King's Man is a 2021 spy action film directed by Matthew Vaughn from a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek and a story by Vaughn. The third installment in the British Kingsman film series, which is based on the comic book The Secret Service (later retitled to Kingsman) by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, it is a prequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017). Its ensemble cast includes Ralph Fiennes (also one of its executive producers), Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance. It focuses on several events during World War I and the birth of the Kingsman organisation.

It was released in the United States on 22 December 2021, and in the United Kingdom on 26 December 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through 20th Century Studios, delayed several times from an original November 2019 release date, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It received mixed reviews from critics, grossing $126 million against nearly a $100 million budget making it a Box-office bomb.

Plot

In 1902, aristocrat Orlando, Duke of Oxford, his wife Emily, and their young son Conrad visit a concentration camp in South Africa while working for the British Red Cross. Emily is mortally wounded during a Boer sniper attack on the camp. Before passing, she makes Orlando promise never to let their son see war again.

Twelve years later, Orlando has formed a private spy network of domestic servants (including his servants, Shola and Polly) employed by the world's most powerful dignitaries. The network's primary goal is to protect the United Kingdom and the British Empire from the approaching Great War. Conrad is eager to fight, but Orlando forbids him to join the British Army and persuades Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, not to let him do so.

At Kitchener's request, Conrad and Orlando ride with Orlando's friends, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, through Sarajevo. Conrad saves the Archduke from a bomb thrown by Gavrilo Princip, a Young Bosnia rebel intent on sparking a war. Princip later reencounters the Archduke's entourage by chance and fatally shoots him and his wife. Orlando learns that the assassination was orchestrated by "The Flock": a group plotting to pit the German, Russian, and British empires against each other. The Flock's headquarters is on an isolated clifftop, led by the mysterious "Shepherd", whose ultimate goal is to achieve Scottish independence; its operatives include Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, trusted adviser to Tsar Nicholas of Russia.

On the Shepherd's orders, Rasputin poisons Nicholas's young son Alexei, only to cure him when Nicholas promises to stay out of the war. Conrad is notified of Rasputin's manipulation by his cousin, Prince Felix Yusupov. Knowing the Western Front will be left vulnerable if Russia exits the war, Conrad delivers this information to Kitchener and his aide-de-camp Major Max Morton, who set sail for Russia. Their ship, HMS Hampshire, is torpedoed by a submarine and sunk. Word of Kitchener's death reaches Orlando, spurring him to travel to Russia with Shola, Polly, and Conrad to kill Rasputin. After a grueling fight, Orlando, Shola, Conrad, and Polly successfully kill Rasputin at a Christmas party hosted by Felix. After celebrating his 19th birthday, Conrad expresses his determination to join the army, much to Orlando's dismay.

The Shepherd orders Erik Jan Hanussen, an adviser to Kaiser Wilhelm II, to send the Zimmermann Telegram, hoping to distract Britain and the United States. Although British Intelligence intercepts the message and Polly deciphers it, American President Woodrow Wilson refuses to join the war, citing a lack of concrete proof. The Shepherd recruits Vladimir Lenin and orders his Bolsheviks to overthrow the Tsar and remove Russia from the war, sending an assassin to execute the Romanov family.

Conrad is commissioned into the Grenadier Guards against his father's wishes. King George V persuades Orlando to let him have Conrad assigned to London. Determined to fight in the war, Conrad swaps places with a soldier named Archie Reid, giving him the nickname "Lancelot" to send his father a message. Disguised as Archie, a member of the Black Watch, Conrad volunteers for a mission into No-Man's Land to retrieve information from a British agent wounded there but was killed by explosion's impact. Upon his return he was executed by a Scottish soldier who knew Archie Reid and mistook him for a German spy, devastating Orlando. However, the recovered information verifies the Zimmermann Telegram's authenticity.

After Wilson again refuses to enter the war despite Conrad's proof, Orlando learns that Wilson is being blackmailed with footage of being seduced by the Shepherd's agent, Mata Hari, and resolves to recover the original negatives. Upon defeating Hari at the American embassy, Orlando has her cashmere wool scarf identified as made from a rare breed only found in a specific mountainous region. Orlando, Shola, and Polly head there and fight their way inside. The Shepherd is revealed to be Morton, who had faked his death and killed Kitchener himself. Orlando fights and kills Morton with the help of Shola. At the same time, Polly recovers the film and delivers it to Wilson, who burns it and prepares to mobilize the United States for war.

A year after the war, Orlando purchases the Kingsman Tailor Shop as a front for his organization. Orlando, Shola, Polly, King George, Archie, and the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. form the original Kingsmen, each assuming codenames from the King Arthur legend to honour Conrad. In a mid-credit scene, Hanussen, having taken on the Shepherd identity, introduces Lenin to the Romanovs' killer: a young Adolf Hitler.

Cast

Main article: List of Kingsman characters

• Ralph Fiennes as Orlando Oxford, Duke of Oxford / Arthur: An aristocrat and spy network leader.
• Gemma Arterton as Polly Watkins / Galahad: A maid and member of Orlando's spy network.
• Djimon Hounsou as Shola / Merlin: A butler and member of Orlando's spy network.
• Rhys Ifans as Grigori Rasputin: The Tsar's personal physician and also agent and second-in-command of the Shepherd.
• Harris Dickinson as Conrad Oxford: Orlando's son, who switches places with a soldier to fight in the Great War against his father's wishes.
  • Alexander Shaw as young Conrad Oxford
• Matthew Goode as Captain Maximilian "Max" Morton / The Shepherd: A shepherd and British Army officer seeking Scottish independence, the leader of a plot to pit the German, Russian, and British empires against each other.
• Tom Hollander as King George / Percival, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas, the respective rulers of Britain, Germany and Russia.
• Daniel Brühl as Erik Jan Hanussen: An occultist and the Shepherd's third-in-command.
• Charles Dance as Herbert, Lord Kitchener: The Irish-born British Secretary of State for War.
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Lance Corporal Archie Reid / Lancelot: A soldier with whom Conrad switches places.
• Joel Basman as Gavrilo Princip: A student and assassin working for the Shepherd.
• Valerie Pachner as Mata Hari: An agent of the Shepherd and seducer of Woodrow Wilson.
• Alexandra Maria Lara as Emily Oxford: Orlando's deceased wife and Conrad's mother.
• Olivier Richters as Huge Machinery Shack Guard (H.M.S.G.): An agent of the Shepherd.
• Todd Boyce as Alfred DuPont: An American industrialist and agent of the Shepherd.
• Aaron Vodovoz as Prince Felix Yusupov: A Russian aristocrat and cousin of Conrad.
• Ron Cook as Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The Austrian Archduke.
• Stanley Tucci as U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. / Bedivere.
• Branka Katić as Empress Alexandra Feodorovna: The Russian empress consort.
• August Diehl as Vladimir Lenin: A Russian revolutionary and the head of government in Soviet Russia.
• Ian Kelly as Woodrow Wilson: The President of the United States
• David Kross as Adolf Hitler: An assassin recruited by Hanussen.
• Neil Jackson as Captain Forest: the Captain that Conrad Oxford works under in No Man's Land

Production

Development

In June 2018, Matthew Vaughn announced that a prequel film titled Kingsman: The Great Game was in active development, stating that the plot would take place during the early 1900s and would depict the formation of the spy agency and that the project would film back-to-back with "the third regular Kingsman film" which was scheduled to be released in 2021.

Casting

In September 2018, it was announced that Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson would star in the prequel with the former also serving as one of the executive producers of the film. In November 2018, it was revealed that Daniel Brühl, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans and Matthew Goode would co-star in the film.

In February 2019, it was reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou, Alison Steadman, Stanley Tucci, Robert Aramayo and Neil Jackson had joined the cast. In April 2019, it was announced Alexandra Maria Lara had joined the cast of the film. Later in May, Joel Basman joined the cast. That same month, as filming concluded, Vaughn denied reports that Liam Neeson had joined the cast. Vaughn also said The Great Game was a working title and the film would not have that name.

Filming

Principal photography began 22 January 2019 in the United Kingdom. In April 2019, some scenes were shot in Piedmont, Italy: Turin, Po river's street, street of city and in two palaces close to it; Venaria Reale: the Palace of Venaria and royal gardens; Nichelino, Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi and surroundings; Racconigi (Cuneo), Castle of Racconigi. The film's initial cinematographer Ben Davis had to depart the project during reshoots due to his commitments to Eternals.

Release

The King's Man had its world premiere in London, United Kingdom on 5 December 2021 and was theatrically released on 22 December 2021, its eighth proposed release date and more than two years after it was originally due to come out.

It was originally scheduled to be released on 8 November 2019, but was pushed back first to 15 November 2019, then to 14 February 2020, and then to 18 September 2020. The release date was again pushed back by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to 26 February 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the delay of Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four films, The King's Man was moved up two weeks to 12 February 2021, before being moved again to 12 March 2021. In January 2021, the release date was delayed again to 20 August 2021. In March 2021, it was further delayed to the December 2021 date. The film played in cinemas for 45 days before heading to digital platforms.

Home media

The film started streaming on Disney+ through Star in the UK, Ireland, Japan, and South Korea on 9 February 2022 and much later that February for Australia and New Zealand and Canada. It streamed on HBO Max and Hulu on 18 February and on Star+ on 2 March. The film streamed on Disney+ Hotstar on 23 February 2022 in Southeast Asia. The film was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD by 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment on 22 February.

Soundtrack

The King's Man (Original Motion Picture Score)
Soundtrack album by Matthew Margeson and Dominic Lewis
Released	22 December 2021
Genre	Film score
Label	Hollywood
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Matthew Margeson, who worked with Henry Jackman in the previous Kingsman films, composed the film score with Dominic Lewis. Hollywood Records released the soundtrack digitally on 22 December 2021. The ending theme is "Measure of a Man" by FKA Twigs featuring Central Cee. All music composed by Matthew Margeson and Dominic Lewis.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The King's Man"	4:16
2.	"The Promise"	3:35
3.	"Savile Row"	1:49
4.	"Oxfords, Not Rogues"	3:31
5.	"My Shepherd"	4:33
6.	"We Three Kings"	3:06
7.	"Cost of War"	3:26
8.	"The Lord's Vessel"	2:20
9.	"Network of Domestics"	4:28
10.	"Let Me Lick Your Wounds"	3:23
11.	"Dance on Your Graves"	4:10
12.	"Cracking the Code"	3:06
13.	"We Shall Not Sleep"	3:39
14.	"Silent Knife"	4:26
15.	"Crying Conrad"	2:19
16.	"Lionheart"	1:55
17.	"Dulce et Decorum est"	4:57
18.	"Skydiving"	2:45
19.	"Goliath"	2:43
20.	"Out of the Shadows"	1:56
21.	"Crooked Blade"	2:14
22.	"Victoria Cross"	3:09
23.	"Knights of the Roundtable"	3:49
24.	"The New Flock"	2:26

Reception

Box office

The King's Man grossed $37.2 million in the US and Canada, and $88.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total $126 million.

In the US and Canada, The King's Man was released alongside Sing 2 and The Matrix Resurrections. It was originally projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,175 screens over its first five days of release. It went on to under-perform, grossing $5.9 million in its opening weekend and an estimated $10 million over the five days, finishing fifth at the box office, with contributing factors such as the reluctance to go to cinemas during the pandemic, the rise of the Omicron variant of COVID and being released during the second weekend of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Men made up 65% of the audience during its opening, with those in the age range of 18–34 comprising 54% of ticket sales and those above 35 comprising 40%. The film earned $4.6 million in its second weekend, $3.2 million in its third, $2.2 million in its fourth, $1.8 million in its fifth, $1.66 million in its sixth, $1.2 million in its seventh, and $426,262 in its eighth.

Outside the US and Canada, the film earned $6.9 million in its opening weekend, including $3.5 million in South Korea, $2.1 million in Japan, and $600,000 in Indonesia. In its second weekend, the film made $14.1 million from 22 markets. In Taiwan, the film opened with $2.8 million, making it the fourth-best opening of 2021 in the country. In its third weekend, the film earned $13.4 million, including $1.6 million from Germany, where it debuted in second place at the box office. The film made $10.2 million in its fourth weekend, $6.2 million in its fifth, $4.2 million in its sixth, and $2.7 million in its seventh.

Audience viewership

According to Samba TV, 2.2 million US households watched The King's Man during its first four days streaming.

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Ralph Fiennes' solid central performance in The King's Man is done dirty by this tonally confused prequel's descent into action thriller tedium." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 77% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Possible sequel

Matthew Vaughn stated that if a sequel were to be developed, he would like to see the story about the first decade of the Kingsman agency with all characters that the audience sees at the end. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he said:

It's more if the public demands it. So the second The King's Man is nearly ready to go. Seeing Ralph [Fiennes] and Aaron [Taylor-Johnson] on a mission together with Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou)? I'm in! Those four together? Let's go! I think it would be great.

External links

• Official website
• The King's Man at IMDb