KICK-ASS

Chloe Moretz is HIT GIRL

KICK-ASS (2010)—Blame my brother for recommending this movie, unusual, yes, as our mutual taste in entertainment seldom converge. I was initially skeptical about the prospect of watching yet another superhero spoof movie, as the most recent attempts at the genre have been decidedly disappointing to say the least. Kick-Ass some how manages to break that cycle, completely transcending its predecessors through the use of an intelligent script that combines a montage of stylized über-violence with hilarious comedy, an eclectic if clichéd music score and snappy direction by Mathew Vaughn. Kick-Ass, as it turns out is every bit as campy tongue-in-cheek as its profane title implies.

Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), your average teenage nerd, whose obsession with comic books inspires him to create his very own superhero, “Kick-Ass,” despite his complete lack of any discernible superpowers. Dave’s initial attempts to become a vigilante crime fighter not only confirm his complete superhero ineptitude but end in near disaster. After bumbling about a bit more his impromptu rescuing of a cat changes his luck and the publicity propels him into the public limelight and establishing him as a cult phenomena. Sudden fame does have its draw backs and our hapless Dave also manages to inadvertently run afoul of a nasty drug lord who confuses Kick-Ass with another mask avenger “Big Daddy” (Nicolas Cage), the rest of the plot you can pretty much figure out for yourself.

Which then brings us to the film’s most outrageous, over-the-top side-kick ever, “Hit-girl,” as played by Chloe Moretz, everyone’s newest favorite pint-sized superhero, complete with purple wig, mask and black spandex. the eleven-year-old assassin with a penchant for naughty language. Girls with guns, you gotta love ‘em, and I do love them! Not since Natalie Portman teamed up with Léon in the “Professional,” have we been treated with a spectacle of a pre-teen girl who goes about the merry art of blood-letting with such wanton abandonment. Moretz’s outrageous homicidal spaghetti-Western character shoots, maims and decapitates her opponents with such infectious glee that she easily steals the show.

Matthew Vaughn’s directing is top-notch from a screenplay based on the Marvel comic’s graphic novel of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita. An essential part of the film is its eclectic soundtrack, with choice tracks taken from excellent films such as “28 Days Later,” and “For a few dollars more.” I think my favorite use of music was the over-the-top spectacle of Hit Girl slaughtering villains to the tunes of “The Banana Splits theme.”

You might be taken aback a little bit by the prospects of an 11-year-old girl going around killing people and using explicit language. Kick-Ass is the right vehicle and Chloe Moretz has just the right combination chutzpah  acting chops, and a tempestuous gap-toothed grin to make a success. While I don't mean to assert I think she’s the “next” Dakota Fanning, I feel confident in my prediction that this girl has sufficient talent to go far. I’ll be watching for her . . .

Kick-Ass (2010) ***