Kick Ass Kicks Ass

As a kid I always wanted super powers. The ability to fly, to walk through walls, to move things with my mind. Now I want them for a different reason. To save the world, perhaps. But this movie touches on a central question that I always have had: Why has no one ever tried to really become one? Hill St Blues had a character played by now Adam Sadler director Dennis Dugan as just that kind of character. As expected he was killed trying to stop a crime. But as Kick Ass and the similar Woody Harrelson release Defendor, sanity is not in high quantity.
Aaron Johnson plays the title role of Dave/Kick Ass, a high school nobody who's tired of getting beat up and watching others do the same all around him. His morality and lack of common sense force to become the costumed Kick Ass. In his first attempt at bravery he gets stabbed and nearly dies. Most would call this a day. But now that Dave has lowered pain tolerances due to nerve damage, he tackles crime again and becomes an internet sensation. He attracts the attention of Crime boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), his son Chris/Med mist (Chris Mintz-Plasse), Mindy/Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and her father Damon, Big Daddy (Nick Cage). He finds himself soon in way over his head as Frank wants Kick Ass dead for crimes committed by the much more violent Hit Girl and Big Daddy. Meanwhile, Chris devises a plot to get them out in the open by pretending to be a superhero himself called Red Mist. What follows is violent, funny, shocking and awesome all at once.
Much has been made about an 11 year old girl engaging in this level of violence. I had no problem with it. I've worked with kid actors in the past and they are surprisingly resistant. One flick I was worked on had a ten year old doing rails of coke off a strippers ass. I hear he's headed to college next year, drug free. 11 year olds, especially actors or that age, are usually more mature than their counterparts. They know its a movie and aren't likely to go on a killing spree anytime soon. As for other children, they shouldn't be seeing this movie anyways as its rated R. This is an adult film for adults. If you're under 13 you shouldn't be seeing any R rated movies anyway.
All in all, this is great satire of superhero movies. Nick Cage is on fire lately. His Adam West impression while being Big Daddy is a nice inside joke. Chloe Moritz is going to be a star. Her performance is powerful, touching and deadly. I loved it. Too bad the box office suffered due to Liongate's attempt at a greedy takeover of 100% of the film's profits at some theater locations in the south and Midwest. As a result, they may have lost out in as much as 10 million in additional sales. Genius. Along with Spirit airlines ill fated attempt to charge carry ons, this will go down as another incredible blunder by CEO's who apparently are retarded, high, drunk, stupid or all of the above. Maybe the next superhero will beat the tar around one of these stellar individuals.

4 out of 5 stars