RIFLE RANGE BOY: History made easy!

King's Man (2021)
Story and Direction: Matthew Vaughn

I am so happy that the history lessons I was exposed to in childhood were varied. Thanks to the old Malaysian syllabus, the people of my generation are exposed to the likes of Rasputin, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the events leading to World War 1.

At least I know the storytellers stretched their artistic licence too far to convince the viewers that a single organisation headed by 'The Shepherd' singlehandedly masterminded the genesis of WW1 and the collapse of the Romanov dynasty in Russia. Interestingly, Rasputin is portrayed as a member of this cult and works in cahoots with 'The Shepherd' and receives orders from him.

Even Gavrilo Princip, Archduke Ferdinand's assassin, is said to be in the above group. In reality, we know he did not act alone but as a member of a secret society called 'Black Hand'. True, the first assassination attempt failed, but the fatal shooting was by sheer coincidence.

Rasputin -The Mad Monk

Rasputin is visualised here as I remember him from my textbooks - A tall, scrawny man with bad teeth, piercing eyes, and a bevvy of women trailing in his shadows. If my memory does not fail me, the Russian prince suffered from haemophilia. Rasputin garnered the monarch's admiration after treating the haemorrhaging prince following a bad fall, not after poisoning him.

Margaretha MacLeod nee Zelle
aka Mata Hari

I know the 'Mata Hari' was a Dutch spy accused of working for the Nazis. I never heard of her landing in the USA, and having a secret film recording of her in a compromising position with Woodrow Wilson prevented the USA from entering WW1. It was the gunning of the ocean liner RMS 'Lusitania' by German U-boats. Of course, some say it carried weapons and ammunition to the Allied Forces.

History is made easy here. It seems that The Shephard and his Flock. Vladimir Lenin and even a young Hitler are portrayed to have their beginnings in this movement. In essence, one hand controls the world's direction.

Despite being the third in its series, this film is actually a prequel to its predecessors. It shows how this clandestine movement started with a pacifist, Orlando, the Duke of Oxford, losing his wife during Boer War. Orlando's son, Conrad, watches the whole drama and grows up to want to fight evil.

After Conrad dies, the movement goes gangbusters to get to the root of world problems. The invincible Shephard is located and is neutralised.

An enjoyable watch, only for its cross-reference to world history events.