Starring: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage

Runtime: 117 minutes

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use-some involving children

It may be too early in the year to call “Kick-Ass” the best movie of 2010, but it’s far better than anything in 2009, and probably better than “Iron Man 2” or “The Last Airbender” are going to be. It reaches the cinematic heights that it does for several reasons. First, it doesn’t really attempt to offer too much more insight into the human condition and thus doesn’t seem to be giving a halfhearted attempt to become something that it isn’t in the last third. Second, it has an excellent plot. Third, it breaks every rule of common sense and moral value that has been established in modern cinema, and laughs in our face about it. It is a hardcore, gruesome, depraved, foul-mouthed, completely insane R-rated film that is more entertaining than anything in recent years.

The story follows a high school kid name Dave Lizewski who, like many before him, strives to be a superhero. Believing that he doesn’t need powers to do so, he dons a costume, calls himself Kick-Ass and goes out to fight crime. In his first battle, he is stabbed and hit by a car, breaking most of his bones and putting him into a coma. Not to be defeated, he goes out and does it again, only to be caught on camera.

His antics become a web phenomenon, and he catches the attention of two other vigilantes, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz). The latter is a foul-mouthed and irresistibly likeable eleven-year-old crime-fighter who uses guns, swords, butterfly knives, and more that I won’t spoil to dispatch crime to one of the best movie soundtracks ever. These two show Kick-Ass what fighting crime is like, and that is all I will tell you. It’s too much fun to see how creative the film gets for me to spoil.

I have been hard-pressed to find anything wrong with this film, but I notice that it isn’t for everybody, and that is why it is unfortunately denied an A+ rating. I’m sure that many people will be turned off by how crude and violent it is, and the tone goes from lighthearted to serious to action-packed to gruesome every other minute. I personally admire that in the movie, but some will be confused by the very, very dark places it goes towards the end of the movie.

I don’t know if I’ve explained how badass Hit-Girl really is when she’s on, and she steals much of the movie. However, that undersells the rest of it, which is all excellent. Nicolas Cage gives one of his best performances ever here, and Aaron Johnson plays a great nerdy high-school kid. It is a fantastic and mind-blowing experience, and if you can handle it, you will enjoy it.