Matthew Vaughn Defends KINGSMAN's Controversial (Rear) End Joke
"Some bloody feminists are accusing me of being a misogynist". There's a gag towards the end of Kingsman: The Secret Service revolving around Eggsy's (Taron Egerton) rather unconventional reward for saving the world. Some found it funny, some most certainly did not...
Obviously if you haven't seen Kingsman: The Secret Service yet, SPOILERS follow. So, as Eggsy (Taron Egerton) busies himself killing everything in sight as the movie winds down, he comes across Princess Tilda, who Valentine (Sam L. Jackson) imprisoned for refusing to go along with his plan. She promises him a kiss if he frees her, and if he manages to save the world she'll let him... well, if you'll pardon the Cockney rhyming slang, take her up the kingdom come. Beats a medal and a handshake from the Queen anyway.
It's quite clearly an homage to/piss take of the classic Bond movies in which the hero saves the day and gets the girl, but it's not difficult to see why some would find it problematic. Many have accused Vaughn of sexism, and -- even taking the context of the joke into account -- it does climax (no pun intended) with a ridiculously gratuitous ass-shot. Here's what the Kick-Ass director has to say to EW about it.
"If you’ve noticed, this is my 'Spinal Tap' of trying to find 11 with every scene. What happened there was I studied all the old movies, especially the Bond ones. At the end of 'Moonraker,' he’s floating around in space on Dr. Goodhead, and they say, 'Bond is attempting reentry.' In 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' he says he’s 'keeping the British end up.' The innuendo is pretty strong and always comes from the men. I just thought it would be great to turn it on its head by having the woman say it. I actually think it’s empowering, but some bloody feminists are accusing me of being a misogynist. I’m like, 'It couldn’t be further from the truth.' It’s a celebration of women and the woman being empowered in a weird way in my mind, which will cause a big argument again I’m sure. It’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek and crazy."
Hmmm. Not sure how that's "empowering to women", but a joke is a joke at the end of the day -- even a very juvenile one. Vaughn adds that "It’s not meant to be offensive, and it’s definitely not misogynist or any attack on women. That’s for sure." What do you guys think? Funny, silly, sexist, or all of the above? Sound off in the usual place.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.