DecoyMusic.com

The first time I saw the theatrical trailer for Kick-Ass I thought to myself “this looks like some dumb-ass Disney type movie.” A few weeks later my buddies and I were sitting around watching the tube and the trailer came on, yet again I thought, “…this is STUPID”.  After voicing my opinion my friend Rucci, looked at me, gave me the stink eye, grabbed the computer and said, “WATCH!” He put on the Red Band trailer and I thought it looked like a completely different movie. I was hooked; I needed to see this movie. Non-stop vulgarity, jaw dropping violence and ridiculous humor are the three basic essentials that make this movie a must see.

The premise of the film is very basic; typical high school nobody wants to be somebody. David Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is your average, everyday day teenager. Not a dork, not a jock, not a gamer…just average. It’s his thinking outside of the box thought process that makes him not as average as he thinks. Constantly pondering why there are no superheroes in real life, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He goes home one night, buys some tacky scuba outfit and hits the streets. His first encounter is with two street thugs that jacked him and a friend a few days prior. However, this meeting doesn’t go the way he had planned and Dave ends up in the hospital leaving him with a body full of metal rods and messed up nerve endings. After several weeks of rest, Dave decides to hit the streets for a second time and yet again finds himself in a scuffle with some street hooligans. This time, the encounter is all caught on tape and Kick-Ass is an instant celebrity.

During the entire story of Dave and his alter ego Kick-Ass, you get little snippets into the life of Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz); a father/daughter combo that actually eat, sleep and breathe crime fighting. The first scene you see with these two really explains much of what you are to expect. Big Daddy takes aim at his 11 year old daughter and fires one to the chest. At first you are startled but then you realize she is wearing a bulletproof vest and it’s all part of the training and preparation. It’s not until Kick-Ass almost gets his ass kicked at a drug den that he and the loving family meet for the first time.

Shit doesn’t really hit the fan until crime boss, Frank D’Amica (Mark Strong) thinks Kick-Ass is killing all of his men when in reality it’s really Big Daddy and Hit Girl. To help lure Kick-Ass into his grips, Frank’s son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) turns himself into Red Mist and ends up looking like a member of Brokencyde. From here all hell breaks loose and I were to give and further details it would give too much away. Just know that these tons of vulgarity and violence, mostly from the darling 11 year old, who by the way calls a bunch dudes the filthiest name for a certain part of the female anatomy. I’ll give you a hint, it starts with a “C” and rhymes with runts.

All in all, this movie gets two thumbs up from me. Despite how bizarre it is at times and all the moments that leave you shaking head while saying “What the @#*&” it’s definitely a must see. Kick-Ass is coined as the main character due to the name of the movie but honestly Hit-Girl steals the show and does most of the violent killing, so be sure to keep your attention on her at all times. Just one word of advice, don’t take anyone under the age of 18 because it really holds true to the R rating it received.

-Bill Lohr