Whenever you pop on one of the Kingsman movies, there are a few things you are guaranteed to see: lethal spies with great style and manners, out-of-nowhere plot twists, cool gadgetry, and most of all, awesome fight scenes. So far, Matthew Vaughn’s eye-catching and globe-trotting cinematic universe has given moviegoers some of the best hand-to-hand combat sequences in recent memory, with a couple arguably being some of the best of all time.
So, with The King’s Man streaming on Hulu and elsewhere (with the Blu-ray and DVD release not far off), we’ve decided to go through all three movies and pick out the best fight sequences and break down what makes each of them so great. There’s a lot of hard-hitting action to unpack here, so let’s get this show on the road.
Spoiler Warning! Before we start, there are some massive spoilers for all three movies throughout this piece, so stop now if you’re not all caught up.
The Pub Fight – Kingsman: The Secret Service
Early on in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Harry Hart (Colin Firth) meets with Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) at a pub where he reveals to him the sacrifice Eggsy’s father made all those years ago before talking about the young Unwin’s poor life decisions. Before the conversation could continue, a group of street hooligans burst into the bar to attack Eggsy, only to be dispatched by Harry, who shows he’s more than a man with a nice suit and a silver spoon up his “arse.”
What follows is one hell of a fight scene where Harry takes down six street rats with his fists, his umbrella, and his attackers’ own momentum against them. This fast and furious display of utter carnage is made all the more intense with Matthew Vaughn’s brilliant direction and all those slowed down and 360-degree shots that would become a staple of the franchise. Though not as intense as scenes that would follow, this sequence sets the tone masterfully.
Church Battle Royale – Kingsman: The Secret Service
If the pub fight is the appetizer, the church battle royale is without a doubt the main course, and this fight is bloodier than a blue steak at high-end steakhouse. But instead of some hoity-toity classical track playing in the background while you dig into your steak, your ears are treated to the delightful and chaotic sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic track “Free Bird.”
I mean, this entire scene is Harry Hart fighting droves of religious zealots brainwashed by Richmond Valentine’s (Samuel L. Jackson) SIM card weapon that turns them into murderous psychopaths. The chaos is a well-choreographed and hellacious battle royale in which everyone has one mission: kill, kill, kill! Gunshots, axes to necks, the Bible as a weapon, and so much more happens in this five-minute scene of pure fury.
Poppy Land Showdown – Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Even though the Poppy Land showdown in Kingsman: The Golden Circle features far more guns and gadgets than punches and kicks, this epic sequence in middle of the 2017 sequel is just as fun as any of the other sequences throughout the franchise. This scene is broken up into two inter-cut sections — Eggsy and Harry storming Poppy Adams’ (Julianne Moore) compound and Elton John (playing himself) kicking the mess out of his guards — and both turn the action up a few notches.
The real scene-stealer in this scene is Elton John, who looks like a peacock out of hell mopping the floor with three goons, all while wearing one of his signature, over-the-top outfits. Oh, and “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” a perfect song choice, is playing through it all.
Harry And Eggsy Vs. Whiskey – Kingsman: The Golden Circle
As mentioned earlier, the Kingsman movies are known for their fight scenes and big twists, and in the final moments of The Golden Circle, we get two for the price of one. Just when Eggsy and Harry are about to deploy the antidote to Poppy’s tainted drugs, Agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal) is turned against the pair in an attempt to prevent the world’s drug users from being cured, kicking off one bloody showdown.
Whiskey, who has enough badass gadgets to make the Mandalorian blush, does everything he can to take on the pair of Kingsmen, but his revolver and badass laser-equipped lasso aren’t enough to get the job done. After an extensive and painful fight, the pair finally vanquish the Statesman by the dropping him down into a meat grinder.
The Rasputin Fight – The King’s Man
Like the two films that came before it, The King’s Man doesn’t hold back in the fight department, and that is especially clear with the epic Rasputin fight, halfway through the movie, that sees Rhys Ifans’ outrageous take on the historical figure slice, dice, and dance his way through a fight against the movie’s quartet of heroes.
This scene, which is set to Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” encapsulates everything that makes Kingsman fight sequences so much fun. It has a lot of hard-hitting action, is stylish as hell (especially when Rasputin incorporates all those dance moves), and helps move the plot along without all that much dialogue.
Silent Fight In No Man’s Land – The King’s Man
Later on in The King’s Man comes the silent knife fight in “No Man’s Land,” which is essentially the antithesis of the Rasputin fight and pretty much anything else in the franchise. Sure, there’s still some hard-hitting action and great fight choreography, but Conrad Oxford (Harris Dickinson) and his fellow soldiers take on a group Germans in dead silence in the dark of night.
This scene more than makes up for its lack of flashy theatrics with some of the most brutal and intense action we’ve seen yet, all of which is carried out with knives, hammers, axes, and a bevy of fists. The almost silent fight is a nice departure for the series and really lets the action speak for itself. Even though what happens in the immediate aftermath is traumatizing, we can still enjoy this epic donnybrook.
Orlando and Shola Vs. The Shepherd – The King’s Man
And, last but certainly not least, is the final fight that sees Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou) take on The Shepherd (Matthew Goode), the leader of the group of assassins hellbent on bringing destruction to the world in The King’s Man. What starts out as a two-on-one affair turns into a personal duel between Orlando and The Shepherd that includes grenades, punches, and some great swordplay.
What’s brilliant about this scene is how it fulfills the promises established throughout the movie. There are scenes of The Shepherd practicing his swordsmanship, his compound on top of a mountain (which is made to look menacing throughout the movie), and the goat whose horn he slices off early comes back with a vengeance.
Hopefully this list of great fight scenes in the Kingsman franchise will continue to grow if the long-awaited Kingsman 3 ever comes out. But, in the meantime, you can check out our 2022 movie premiere schedule for everything coming out in the meantime.
Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he’s not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop yelling at the mailman, or yelling about professional wrestling to his wife. If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.
