Shortly before World War I, a British aristocrat (Ralph Fiennes) leads a secret network of spies; soon, his pacifist conviction will be severely tested. The third film in the Kingsman series takes place many decades earlier, depicting the start of the Kingsman organization. Matthew Vaughn uses historical events and figures as inspiration, twisting them until they fit into the franchise’s mythology. If you share the director’s sense of humor and enjoy his playful take on history, you might go along with this silly, crazy story. Shifts wildly in tone, but never dull, and Fiennes is rock-solid.

2021-U.K.-U.S. 131 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Screenplay: Matthew Vaughn, Karl Gajdusek. Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Orlando Oxford), Gemma Arterton (Polly), Harris Dickinson (Conrad Oxford), Rhys Ifans, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew Goode… Tom Hollander, Daniel Brühl, Charles Dance, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stanley Tucci.