"Kick-Ass" delivers a comedic knockout

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Time: 2 hours

Genre: Action/Comedy

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz

There is a fine line between outrageous comedy and just plain insulting screenplay. "Kick-Ass" walks the line with superhero-like confidence. While the movie is filled to the brim with shocking violence and absurdly offensive dialogue, creative screenplay and memorable characters rescue the film from the depths of drudgery.

"Kick-Ass" follows the daily life of high schooler Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), an everyday teenager who asks the question "why didn't anyone try to be a superhero?"

Donning a $100 green and yellow costume he bought online, Dave becomes "Kick-Ass" and tries to find the answer to his question. After his first crime-fighting experience goes viral on youtube, Dave's Myspace inbox becomes flooded with requests for his services. Soon, the crimes become much more serious and "Kick-Ass" escapes death due to the intervention of an ex-cop-turned-superhero (Nicolas Cage) and his 11 year old daughter (Chloe Moretz). Chaos ensues as the three fight crime in their city and Dave questions whether being a superhero is worth the risk.

Here is a quick disclaimer: Don't let your kids see this movie. The language is extremely vulgar, the violence is comparable to that of Tarantino's flicks, and the story content is ultimately serious. That said, "Kick-Ass" is an enjoyable experience. The violence is almost surreal, as Dave and his sidekicks are put in the most ridiculous scenarios and are able to creatively escape most of them. The film pulls no punches and while it may be over-the-top with its characters, the action is raw and straightforward.

At the end of the day, "Kick-Ass" is a gimmick film. It is like "The 6th Sense" in that, you want to watch the film because of some shocking revelation that will forever hold its place in the annals of cinema history. For the latter it was learning that Bruce Willis' character was dead. In "Kick-Ass", it is the unbelievably charismatic performance of Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). Moretz steals the show with her cute demeanor and to hear her curse up a storm while she deftly assassinates hundreds of enemies -- you either are going to be appalled or amused. Either way, it's a performance that you must not miss.

Catch it this weekend at the Tango Theaters. Just leave the kids at home for this one.

4 out of 5 stars.

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