Subverting Genre Conventions | Script Society | Create a Screenplay

As a native Brit, I shamelessly adore the Bond franchise. But there are so few spy movies that subvert the tropes the 007 franchise has birthed. Obviously, we have Austin Powers, Johnny English and the criminally under-rated OSS 117 series. But those are parodies, or at the very least, Bond-alikes. Luckily, we now have Kingsman. Considering the tiny scope of the British film industry, Kingsman is a genuine feat of filmmaking. The reason, for me, that Kingsman reaches heights no other spy movie has is in its perfect tone - it feels like a 1960s Bond movie, but it's a contemporary story of its own. Spoilers follow (Sorry!).

Let's look at the Bond origin story for a moment - the exquisite Casino Royale (2006). When we meet Bond for the first time, he's already polished. He speaks well, he wears suits, and he's good at his job. Matthew Vaughn completely subverts this for Kingsman. Eggsy is a working class boy, living in a house of domestic abuse and essentially heading for a life of crime. He doesn't wear a suit, he doesn't speak well, and he's really kind of a mess. This is such a basic subversion of a protagonist that we almost take it for granted. But then comes Harry Hart. Harry completely embodies the 1960s Bond archetype in every way. He speaks with an almost emotionless, yet proper, tone; always wears a sharp suit, and he appears to be a hell of an agent who cannot be taken down. But that's where the subversion begins. Because the infallible Harry is brainwashed, kills hundreds of people and is callously murdered before the third act. This, again, is another incident of the Scream or Psycho subversion - a high-billed, well-known actor killed for misdirection.