Kick-Ass (2010)

4/5 stars

Matthew Vaughn and Quentin Tarantino need to have coffee. While not quite Pulp Fiction (1994) status effed up, Kick-Ass is definitely on the same levels of violence and intelligence. Vaughn takes the idea of the average person becoming a super hero to its logical conclusion: anyone rich enough, trained to be dangerous, and with the inclination is most likely emotionally disturbed. While there is a definite bad guy (after all, the he does beat up an 11-year-old girl, granted to was beating him up first), the line between villain and vigilante disappears.

The brutality—truly on the Kill Bill level—is unsettling because it is so unexpected. We rarely associate earnest naïveté with knifings and hit-and-runs, but that’s what the goofy and lovable Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson) faces after exiting his high school outfitted with metal detectors and security guards. His wetsuit and good intentions lead him to numerous ass-kickings (every single one bloody and involving a cheap shot to the crotch). They also get him involved with two superheroes, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), who would be serial killers in any other context.

Of course the ending leaves the possibility for a sequel, but the bazooka will catch you off guard every time.