Kick Ass - Movie Review

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Kick Ass
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Lord knows I've imagined what a Wolverine movie would look like if it was granted an R-rating, and I imagine it wouldn't be too far beyond the lines of Kick Ass, the latest superhero (can I say franchise?) in the works. Here we have the familiar premise of an underdog who decides on a whim that he'll be the savior of all those in need of help, with the added challenge of that underdog having no real super-powers of his own apart from a devotion to his cause. The dilemma here is that Kick Ass, the lead character's Superman persona, is only a minor part in the drama while the majority of the focus goes to Hit Girl, his well-versed, and I should note, severely underage counterpart.

While Kick Ass himself is only an awkward teen battling the drama of high school by day and the harsh corruption of the city by night, Hit Girl, who is only, say, nine or ten, comes from the background of a trained killer. Well versed in the art of killing by her father, a revenge driven cop, Hit Girl and Kick Ass cross paths in a surprisingly convincing way. They're both dealing with baddies operating under the same foe, Frank D'Amico, a mob boss who is a tad too focused on his business rather than his son Chris.

If you can tell from the number of commas I've used in the previous paragraph, the film Kick Ass is surprisingly hard to summarize. The film does a great job of juggling numerous characters at once and not losing one or two in the heat of battle. Yes, there are some unanswered questions as to how exactly they're all related. How exactly is Kick Ass's love interest, the somewhat innocent Katie, involved with drug dealers? I'm not sure. All we need to know is that she's being bothered by them and Kick Ass will have to take care of the problem. So it's his problem, not ours.

Some reviewers note that the character of Hit Girl, who I can best describe as a prepubescent version of the Bride from Kill Bill, is a bit of an exploitation. Gene Siskel was known for his attitudes towards films that featured children being depicted in danger, with his opinion being that it was a cheap way to cash in on the audiences sympathy, but I feel as though the film handles it reasonably well. There is some recognition here or there that Hit Girl is after all just a young girl. I didn't feel as though placing her in danger was much of a cash-in, but I do think using her for laughs certainly is.

Oh, look, she called those baddies a "c*&t," and a "douche." She uses bad words just like regular people! Isn't that hilarious?

I don't know. Sometimes yes, usually no.

Hit Girl is played by Chloe Moretz, who will soon appear in the American remake of Let the Right One In, which will here be called "Let Me In." Don't scoff so soon, it is after all directed by Matt Reeves who made the best movie ever in history. ever.

so good.

I can most certainly see her in that role, especially since it dramatizes a being caught between emotion and carnal need. Here she's a bit more carnal.

But what about Kick Ass? Well, apparently it will be a franchise. I'm interested. This movie certainly succeeds in an admirable aspect. It convincingly illustrates that anyone, no matter how wimpy, can make a difference. I only wish that difference was shown in visible change rather than gratuitous violence.

Although the gratuitous violence is pretty neat!