With just a few days in theaters, Matthew Vaughn’s action spy comedy The king’s man has already raised nearly $ 5 million at the box office. The film drew more favorable reviews from film buffs in general than professional critics, in large part due to the hilarious banter and witty lines delivered by the stellar cast of worthy British special agents as they are trying to prevent the Great War.
The tumultuous manners comedy is full of memorable characters who know how to turn a sentence, pronounce lines with funny comedic timing, wry fun, and a straight face on their faces. However, only a few of them managed to leave a memorable impression on the audience.
9 Oxford from Orlando:
“Nobility never came from chivalry. It just got tough and ruthless.”
Despite his racy demeanor and air of royalty, Orlando the Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) makes a stunning admission in the film that highlights the past of his people. He does so to teach his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) the tricks of his trade, lifting the curtain on the English aristocracy in a revealing screed.
“Over time our people stole, lied and killed until one day we found ourselves noble,” said Oxford before renouncing a chivalrous code of conduct.
8 Morton:
“After all, good manners make a man.”
One of the most iconic quotes from Kingsman: Secret Service is recycled with a lot of fun and flair in the prequel. The line was spoken by Harry Hart (Colin Firth) in the original before launching an attack on an enemy. In The king’s man, Morton aka The Shepherd (Matthew Goode) blows the line with great delight that will make fans of the first film smile from ear to ear.
Much of the appeal of the Kingsman films lies in the balance between an English culture of manners and the secret underworld of violent spy missions. So when The Shepherd begins the quote by saying “let’s end this as gentlemen,” the cheeky sarcasm is a nice reminder.
seven Oxford from Orlando:
“Refined, but brutal. Civilized, but ruthless.”
The Duke of Oxford remains a concise character throughout the underrated spy film, but it’s the sharp way he describes Kingsman’s creed to Conrad that really stands out. He begins the quote by telling his son that “we are the first independent intelligence agency, preserving peace and protecting life”.
Knowing how the description is complicit with the truth, the quote is made even better by Conrad’s perfectly timed line, saying “very smart” with an ironic accent that pretty much undermines his father’s stifling attitude.
6 Polly:
“Stop messing around!”
As one of the only female characters in a male-dominated world, Polly (Gemma Arterton) stands out every time she opens her mouth. Usually as nice and charming as it gets, including the moment she adorably says “welcome to the club” to Conrad is when Polly gets ballistic that makes her laugh the most.
So when Polly has finally had enough of the cheeky shenanigans of her male counterparts, she finally barks the fast line through the silliness. The kicker? Polly yells the line while firing an anti-tank shell.
5 Morton:
“My flock, it won’t be. The war of heroes. The nations will kill each other while we get rich. This is going to be fun.”
The unbridled pleasure that villainous Morton takes in being a hitman can’t be expressed more accurately than when he said that line. The first part of the quote indicates his rogue nature while the second indicates a venal and sadistic side that further nuances his character.
The way Matthew Goode pronounces “it’s gonna be fun” comes with such a perfect tone and tone that it’s hard to take the character as creepy as he wants. There is a cartoonish nature throughout the movie, and the quote reinforces The Shepherd’s criminal silliness.
4 Rasputin:
“It’s time to dance on your grave.”
Rhys Ifans gives one of the infamous tyrant Grigory Rasputin’s most hysterical and histrionic turns, delivering one ridiculous line after another in the most ridiculous storylines.
After throwing Oxford into a backyard pond, Rasputin puts Shola (Djimon Hounsou) in his sights and slowly and cowardly whispers the line too gleefully too much to be taken seriously. Immediately after, Rasputin does a hilarious pirouette and pulls a danger out of his sock, completely undermining the threatening quote. The quote sums up the biting sense of humor of the entire film franchise.
3 The shepherd:
“F *** This Gentleman S ** you! I’m going to love to kill you.”
Perhaps the most disturbing quote in the whole movie, the bald-headed Scottish villain growls the line from the dark recesses of a castle. The Kingsman Code’s menacing rebuke is as menacing as it gets, raising the stakes as high as it gets in the realm of espionage.
Of course, the line also has an underlying tinge of lightness, which allows audiences to laugh for a moment before being terrified of the dark figure as they walk into the light. The way the scene unfolds helps make The Shepherd one of the nastiest spy movie villains in recent memory.
2 Oxford from Orlando:
“The real power lies in understanding who you are really fighting and how they can be defeated.”
For all the frivolity and hilarious banter in the film, Oxford also gives away a few pearls of wisdom. In one of his most honorable moments, he gives a deep insight into how real wars are fought, how nations are formed, and how dictators are avoided.
Along with the priceless nugget of truth in the statement, the line is a much-needed moment of gravity to make up for all the light humor.
1 The shepherd
“It’s time to add fuel to the fire of the revolution”
Who knew that Rasputin had such a poetic soul? While most of his lines in the film are ridiculous beyond belief, there is a point in the story that directly points to his grand motives in a serious and downright deep way.
Additionally, as soon as The Shepherd declares the poetic metaphor, Rasputin obeys his orders by saying “yes, my shepherd,” giving Morton the dominant upper hand as the film’s truest and terrifying villain. The quote is great on its own, but it’s the context of the characters that makes it so memorable in the movie.
