Overlay: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) Film Rating

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
1	1	0	9

How were these counts calculated?

Errors (1)

The film actually opens with a flashback to 1997 (the death of Eggsy's father). sequence-error

Missing (1)

Specifics of BBFC Cuts: The summary mentions 'minor cuts' but could have specifiomitted-detail

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), what was the film rated (e.g. R, PG, G), and what elements of the film contributed to that rating?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

Regarding the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service, the film was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). In the United Kingdom, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) originally threatened it with an 18 rating before minor cuts were made to secure a 15 rating.

The R rating was assigned for "sequences of strong violence, language, and some sexual content." Below are the specific elements that contributed to this rating:

1. Strong and Graphic Violence

The film is known for its highly stylized, fast-paced, and often gory action sequences.

The Church Massacre: This is the most infamous scene in the film. Under the influence of a "neurological wave," Harry Hart (Colin Firth) engages in a four-minute, hyper-violent brawl inside a church, killing dozens of people using guns, knives, a hatchet, and even a heavy wooden pole. The scene includes stabbings, shootings at point-blank range, and impalements.
Gazelle’s Prosthetic Blades: The character Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) has prosthetic legs made of razor-sharp blades. She is seen using them to slice people in half (notably in the film's opening scene) and dismember opponents throughout the movie.
Exploding Heads: During the climax, the chips implanted in the heads of the world’s elite are activated, causing their heads to literally explode. Although this is depicted with colorful, "firework-like" visual effects to lessen the realism, the sheer volume of casualties and the concept of mass decapitation contributed to the mature rating.

2. Language

The film contains a high frequency of profanity and offensive slurs.

Profanity: There are over 60 uses of the "F-word," along with various other vulgarities like "motherf***er," "shit," and "wanker."
Discriminatory Language: During the church sequence, a fanatical preacher uses several highly offensive racial and homophobic slurs. The rating boards cited these discriminatory terms as a factor in the film’s restricted rating.

3. Sexual Content

While the film is not primarily about sex, specific moments toward the end were heavily scrutinized.

The "Anal Sex" Joke: In the final act, Princess Tilde of Sweden promises the protagonist, Eggsy, that she will have anal sex with him if he saves the world. This dialogue was criticized by many as being crude or out of place.
Nudity: When Eggsy returns to the Princess at the end of the film, there is a brief shot of her bare buttocks as she lies on a bed. This instance of partial nudity, combined with the explicit sexual dialogue, was a significant factor in the "Sexual Content" warning from the MPAA.

4. Other Elements

Substance Use: The film features characters consuming alcohol and smoking throughout, which is a standard component for many mature-rated spy films but is still noted by rating boards.
Tone: The film often blends brutal violence with a comedic or "fun" tone (a hallmark of director Matthew Vaughn), which some rating boards found more jarring or problematic than straightforward, serious violence.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] The MPAA rated the film R.

[2] The BBFC originally advised that the film would receive an 18 rating. The distributors chose to make cuts to violent scenes to secure a 15 rating.

[3] This is the exact text of the MPAA rating descriptor.

[4] Harry Hart uses a wide variety of weapons in the church scene, including guns, knives, an axe/hatchet, and a broken wooden pole/rod.

[5] The film actually opens with a flashback to 1997 (the death of Eggsy's father). The scene where Gazelle slices Agent Lancelot in half is the second scene, though it is the first scene set in the present day.

[6] The exploding heads are stylized as colorful fireworks, set to 'Pomp and Circumstance'.

[7] Counts confirm over 60 uses of the F-word.

[8] The preacher uses specific racial and homophobic slurs (e.g., 'fag', 'n****r').

[9] This line is a well-known and controversial element of the film's ending.

[10] The shot of the buttocks is present in the final cut.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

Low

Specifics of BBFC Cuts

The summary mentions 'minor cuts' but could have specified that the cuts were primarily to reduce the focus on pain and injury in violent moments to fit the 15 guidelines.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 What specific scenes were cut from Kingsman for the BBFC 15 rating?

#02 Did the church scene in Kingsman use a real hate group as inspiration?

#03 What music plays during the exploding heads scene in Kingsman?

#S SOURCES

refinery29.com namu.wiki namu.wiki namu.wiki movieguide.org website-files.com theringer.com wikipedia.org btchflcks.com wikipedia.org 500daysoffilm.com youtube.com

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

▼

Regarding the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service, the film was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). In the United Kingdom, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) originally threatened it with an 18 rating before minor cuts were made to secure a 15 rating. The R rating was assigned for "sequences of strong violence, language, and some sexual content." Below are the specific elements that contributed to this rating: ### 1. Strong and Graphic Violence The film is known for its highly stylized, fast-paced, and often gory action sequences. * The Church Massacre: This is the most infamous scene in the film. Under the influence of a "neurological wave," Harry Hart (Colin Firth) engages in a four-minute, hyper-violent brawl inside a church, killing dozens of people using guns, knives, a hatchet, and even a heavy wooden pole. The scene includes stabbings, shootings at point-blank range, and impalements. * Gazelle’s Prosthetic Blades: The character Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) has prosthetic legs made of razor-sharp blades. She is seen using them to slice people in half (notably in the film's opening scene) and dismember opponents throughout the movie. * Exploding Heads: During the climax, the chips implanted in the heads of the world’s elite are activated, causing their heads to literally explode. Although this is depicted with colorful, "firework-like" visual effects to lessen the realism, the sheer volume of casualties and the concept of mass decapitation contributed to the mature rating. ### 2. Language The film contains a high frequency of profanity and offensive slurs. * Profanity: There are over 60 uses of the "F-word," along with various other vulgarities like "motherf***er," "shit," and "wanker." * Discriminatory Language: During the church sequence, a fanatical preacher uses several highly offensive racial and homophobic slurs. The rating boards cited these discriminatory terms as a factor in the film’s restricted rating. ### 3. Sexual Content While the film is not primarily about sex, specific moments toward the end were heavily scrutinized. * The "Anal Sex" Joke: In the final act, Princess Tilde of Sweden promises the protagonist, Eggsy, that she will have anal sex with him if he saves the world. This dialogue was criticized by many as being crude or out of place. * Nudity: When Eggsy returns to the Princess at the end of the film, there is a brief shot of her bare buttocks as she lies on a bed. This instance of partial nudity, combined with the explicit sexual dialogue, was a significant factor in the "Sexual Content" warning from the MPAA. ### 4. Other Elements * Substance Use: The film features characters consuming alcohol and smoking throughout, which is a standard component for many mature-rated spy films but is still noted by rating boards. * Tone: The film often blends brutal violence with a comedic or "fun" tone (a hallmark of director Matthew Vaughn), which some rating boards found more jarring or problematic than straightforward, serious violence.

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

▼

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) is rated R by the MPAA for "sequences of strong violence, language and some sexual content." In the UK, the BBFC originally advised an 18 rating, but the distributors made cuts to violent scenes (specifically reducing the focus on pain and injury) to secure a 15 rating. Key contributors to the rating include the hyper-violent church massacre (featuring guns, knives, and improvised weapons), the graphic death of Agent Lancelot (sliced in half by Gazelle), and the climax featuring exploding heads (stylized as fireworks). The film also contains pervasive language (over 60 f-words and offensive slurs) and a controversial sexual joke involving anal sex, accompanied by a brief shot of nudity.

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