The third entry in the KingsMan series, all of which have been directed by Matthew Vaughn, is a prequel to the rest of the series. It shows how the KingsMan agency came to be, what caused it, and how it grew its network of information and agents.

Sounds great.

Then you throw in Ralph Fiennes, Djimon Honsou, Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and Rhys Ifans. It sounds pretty good so far.

Unfortunately, there’s too many tonal shifts, as it tries to play the story seriously, and then lean into the delightful over-the-top style of the other two films. And that can be a little jarring.

When his wife is killed during a Red Cross mission in Africa, Orlando Oxford (Fiennes) makes a promise as she dies in his arms, to protect their son from war.

As the boy, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), grows he is eager to join up, to fight for England in the Great War. Orlando does his best to keep him safe, pulling strings to keep him safe, even as they find themselves on a mission to deal with Rasputin (Ifans).

But that’s only the beginning as Orlando works to keep the rulers of Russia, England and Germany (all played by Tom Hollander) talking, and make sure the Archduke of Austria (Ron Cook) isn’t assassinated.

And we know how that worked out.

I like the idea of the story, but Conrad, as portrayed by Dickinson, is a but of a non-entity. With everyone else around him, he has to elevate his game, but he never seems to quite get there.

Fiennes on the other hand, is top-drawer, and gives a great turn. He is a natural for this type of action role. He brings Oxford to life with gravitas, charm, and a healthy does of ass-kickery when the story finally calls for it.

As fun as he is, this one doesn’t quite have the same hook as the other two films. It doesn’t find the balance between action, drama and narrative like its predecessors. And that’s too bad, because you really want this one to work like gangbusters.

Also by setting it in the 1910s, you don’t get the same fantastic needle drops that filled the other films, though there are a couple attempts with musical pieces of the time – only one of them works.

It’s a bit of a sad way to end the trilogy, the first two films are great fun. And I would like to see more of the universe, it doesn’t all have to focus on Taron Egerton’s Eggsy. But this one wasn’t as good as it could have been.

But Fiennes kicks ass. And he has a great fricking wardrobe. I love that leather coat!