THE KING’S MAN
An energetic, moving spy adventure best saved for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
The answer depends on what you are willing to accept for a movie with real entertainment value. The King’s Man is an elaborate, epic spy adventure with exciting action set pieces, historical material, and a surprisingly moving father-son relationship. Its moral and patriotic themes give the spectacle more weight than a routine action movie.
But the R rating is earned. The film contains lots of strong foul language, some extreme violence, lewd innuendo, and other content that makes it unsuitable for children and young teens. Even older teenagers require careful family discernment.
If you are a discerning adult who wants to see it, waiting for home gives you more control over the experience. For a family movie night, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAfter the Duke of Oxford is widowed in 1902, he raises his son, Conrad, with help from Polly, his maid, and Shola, his assistant and a former African soldier. By 1914, Conrad wants to join the army, while his father remains a committed pacifist.
When World War I begins, the Duke, Polly, and Shola use a private spy agency called Kingsman to help England and its allies. They soon discover that an international criminal cabal is working behind the scenes to destroy England and control the major European powers.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly enjoyable film despite its serious content problems. The King’s Man combines real historical references with a fantastic spy story and several exciting action set pieces. That mixture gives the movie an unusual epic feel.
The strongest element is the changing relationship between the Duke of Oxford and his son. The film also does not shy away from the horrors of World War I, including trench warfare. Its moral, patriotic tone and emotional father-son story give the adventure substance beyond its spectacle.
The Worldview
The film presents a strong moral and patriotic worldview within an action-adventure spy story. It portrays war as horrifying, especially the trench warfare that defined World War I. It also argues that pacifist ideals can be flawed and that people sometimes must take up arms to prevent a greater evil.
The movie values family loyalty, courage, sacrifice, and responsibility. The Duke’s relationship with his son is central, and the story emphasizes that a terrible sacrifice must not be paid in vain. The film also includes overt Christian references, though its worldview remains primarily moral and patriotic rather than explicitly Christian.
The story’s moral framework is complicated by its depiction of one character as a ladies’ man who also enjoys homosexual affairs with young men. The film’s spy fantasy is also woven through real historical events and infamous historical figures, creating a deliberately wacky mixture of history and fiction.
At its best, the movie asks whether protecting others can require personal sacrifice. Scripture gives that longing its clearest shape: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong moral, patriotic worldview with some overt Christian references in an action adventure, spy story where a man eventually realizes that his pacifist ideals are flawed, and that, sometimes, people must take up arms to prevent an even greater evil from taking place, plus movie displays a strong father-son relationship where it’s decided that a terrible sacrifice must not be paid in vain, and one character is depicted as a ladies man who also enjoys homosexual affairs with young men
Violence
Some extreme violence and lots of strong action violence includes war scenes, sniper takes out bad guys and there’s some blood spray, two men shot dead in forehead, elaborate sword fight, man dangles from high cliff and nearly falls to his death, miscellaneous fighting, explosions, foreign leader is assassinated to start a war, man carries a wounded soldier across No Man’s Land and back to his lines in the trenches, an attempt to bomb a foreign leader is foiled, a villain is poisoned with cyanide and stabbed but survives before being shot dead, sniper shoots man in leg and fatally wounds man’s wife, implied decapitation of a guard after a fight
Foul Language
29 obscenities (mostly “f” words), one light profanity and poisoned man vomits out the poisoned cake he ate, saying he’s been taking small amounts of cyanide to build up a tolerance to it
Sex
Female spy seduces President Wilson in one scene, and Rasputin is portrayed as a ladies man who also likes young men, so good guys use a young man to lure him to his death by serving him a poisoned sweet cake
Nudity
Upper male nudity
Alcohol Use
Social drinking and man becomes despondent after a tragedy and resorts to drink
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
Some smoking, but no drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
President Wilson is blackmailed, hero’s son sneaks behind his back and enlists in the military during World War I under another name, family tragedies occur, and weird mystic licks scar on man’s leg and then dumps the man in freezing water to heal the man’s limp.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The Duke believes pacifism is always the right answer, but the story challenges that belief. When might protecting the innocent require confronting evil, and how should Christians do so?
Romans 13:4 · Romans 12:21The film emphasizes the changing relationship between a father and his son. What responsibilities do parents and children have toward one another when they disagree?
Ephesians 6:1–4The story says that a terrible sacrifice must not be paid in vain. How can remembering sacrifice shape the way we live?
John 15:13 · Romans 12:1The Final Word
The King’s Man is a sensational, moving action adventure with a strong father-son relationship and moral themes. But its R-rated language, violence, and sexual content make it unsuitable for children and young teens. WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For other choices, see.
