"Kick Ass" The (Mostly) Good, the (Occasional) Bad, and the Ugly (Implications)

Every once in a while a movie comes along that is truly "of its time", one that years after its release people will be able to look back upon and glean something of the age in which it was created. "Five Easy Pieces" captures the rebellion against convention and the anger of the early 70's, "Easy Rider" typifies the new social frontiers and wanderlust of the late 60's , "A Face in the Crowd" embodies (and satirizes) the growing materialism of the 1950's and the seductive influence of the then-new technology of television, "The Best Years of Our Lives" deals with the national sense of relief and uneasiness of adjustment to the post war period of the 1940's, "The Wizard of Oz" come immediately to mind as examples.

So does "Kick Ass".

"Kick Ass" is the story of David, a typical nerdy teenager with all the requisite teen issues. He's shy, horny, lonely and more than a little obsessed with fantasy, particularly comic books. He's got a couple of good friends, a dad that means well but is rather disconnected from his son's emotions and struggles, and a daily life that consists mostly of going to school, hanging with his buds, reading comics and masturbating. Fueled mostly by boredom and frustration with his life, David decides to act upon his curiosity about why no one has ever actually tried to become a 'superhero'. He orders a green scuba suit, picks out a hero name ("Kick Ass"), practices jumping in the alley behind his house, and embarks upon his newly found career as a neighborhood crime fighter.

His first outing doesn't go so well, though, as his attempt to thwart a car jacking leaves him stabbed and hit by a car. After a recovery period, David's back in the game, but this time he encounters two fellow crimefighters, an eleven year old girl with a penchant for and expertise with weapons of all kinds called "Hit Girl" and her father, "Big Daddy", who has been waging a vengeance filled war against local mob boss, . As David gets deeper and deeper into the violent world of vigilantism, he falls in love and also begins to realize he's bitten off a lot more than he bargained for.

"Kick Ass" hits all the right notes for an action flick. It's fast paced, with its action scenes full of menace and resonance. David's inexperience and naivete are balanced by his passion for justice and depth of character; we come to see that this isn't just a kid on a lark, this is a kid with real heart and character. And as dysfunctional and disturbed as the relationship between Big Daddy and Hit Girl is, you can't help but like both of them and sympathize with their quest, while cringing at bit at times too. The dialogue is crisp and smart, the acting is uniformly excellent. Aaron Johnson is a very believable David, shy but determined to raise himself out of the stereotype he's fallen into, and full of a surprising resolve and depth. Nicolas Cage puts in one of his best performances as Damon McCready (Big Daddy), a combination of Robert Young in "Father Knows Best", and the bloodthirsty avenger "Rorschach" from Alan Moore's "Watchmen". And Chloe is very impressive as the bloodthirsty yet charming "Hit Girl".

I can safely say I've never seen a movie quite like "Kick Ass". Sure, there've been films that explored what it would be like if the ordinary man decided to become a superhero, ranging in tone from the grim and apocalyptic "Watchmen" to the early 80's dramedy of "Hero at Large". But never has there been a film I can remember that mixed tones so liberally, combining comedy and pop culture zeitgeist with scenes of absolutely unrelenting violence and intensity. "Pulp Fiction" comes close, but "Kick Ass" catapults past "Fiction" in terms of originality by throwing in the youth angle.

None of this is necessarily "bad". The film is rated "R", which means that technically kids under 17 aren't going to see it without a guardian, but logic and experience tells us that pretty much any kid that wants to see this is going to even if it means forcing a parent along for the ride, and even so some of the material therein made me uncomfortable to experience with teens and tweens in close proximity, and I'm not even a parent. "Kick Ass" is a very modern creation, and it may in fact represent a whole new genre. It's rather schizophrenic take on its subject matter is nowhere more apparent than a scene where "Hit Girl" explodes upon the film in a true orgy of bullets, knives and blood, all set to the tune of a cover of the Banana Splits' "Tra La La Song".

I thought the world created by the creators was remarkably knowing and real. The dialogue never seemed forced or in the "old guys trying to approximate contemporary teenspeak" category, but flowed and sounded very natural. David and his friends' isolation and their reliance on fantasy and technology to escape their depressing daily lives was dead on target and really transcended time and place (speaking as a former, and current, I suppose, nerd).

The ending of the film is cathartic and only a bit predictable,as the protagonists confronting the uber villain in his sanctum sanctorum, with the filmmakers succeeding in creating a real sense of danger for its heroes, something that seems increasingly elusive in modern action films.
And without giving anything away, I was left wondering at the conclusion about how the creators really felt about the very intriguing premise they set up, given the fates of the characters and the effect of their actions upon them. It did seem as if they wanted to have things both ways; to really explore the consequences of violence and vigilantism and at the same time, glamorize it, and that ultimately, they weren't sure how they felt about it. It's kind of in the category of "Beavis and Butthead", "Family Guy" and "South Park" in that it uses a medium initially intended for younger people to convey themes that are quite adult, targeting an audience that grew up with cartoons and comic books. I'm OK with this, though I'm not sure that the young people that see it always appreciate or understand the irony, encapsulated as it is in such a sugary package. Do they get the fact that the characters are tragic, or are they misled by the throbbing rock score cheerleading all the violence?

All of that said, "Kick Ass" is a crowd pleaser from start to finish, with very few false moments. It's an eye opening, eye popping, hybrid superhero/John Woo/cartoon/teenflick/spaghetti Western/comedy/action-adventure film that may just usher in a new type of modern genre, depending on how successful it is.

Just be prepared to feel like an old guy, and beware girls selling cookies (you'll see what I mean).