Monica Kigozi

Explore how protagonists are represented in Inception

(2010) and Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

In this essay, I will be analysing the ways in which the different

protagonists within both British and American films are represented.
I am going to explore the use of micro techniques used to portray
the protagonists. The two films I will be analysing are Inception
(2010) and Kingsman: Secret service (2014).

Inception (2010) was directed Christopher Nolan and starred

Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb), Tom Hardy (Eames) and Joseph Gordon-
Levitt (Arthur). The BBFC certificate is 12A this is due to it following
the typical conventions of an action film, which is mild violence.
Inception is a non-linear structure, the film that follows a squad of
lucrative criminals who infiltrate ones mind through their
subconscious. Elements of enigma codes are featured throughout
the film creating a sense of mystery. Whereas, Kingsman: The
Secret Service directed by Matthew Vaughn, is about a secret spy
organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into
the agency's ultra-competitive training program. Kingsman has a
BBFC rating of 15 as it was stated to have more explicit scenes and
more violent content. Both films use Levi Strauss binary opposites,
good v evil, supported by the protagonists attempt to overcome the
antagonists evil threat.

In Inception men are represented as the

superior gender, making women appear
inferior, the audience are able to identify
this stereotype through the
representations surrounding the
protagonist Cobb. In the opening
sequence, Cobb is positioned in the
centre of the frame. This shows us that Cobb is perceived as the
more dominate character, this is reinforced by his costume as his
suit connotes professionalism and power to the audience, these
representations are very common in action films and fit into the
stereotypical conventions. This also leads back to the patriarchal
society where men were ranked at the top of the hierarchy. The
room has a yellowish undertone and yellow connotes optimism,
enlightenment and joy, however due to it being used in this context
it juxtaposes with whats happening within this scene. Christopher
Nolan done this to create an unusual mysterious setting, which links
back to Ronald Barthes enigma theory due to theyre being some
contrapuntal elements.

In opposition to this, Kingsman: The Secret Service represents the

countertype between genders where we see Gazelle as the superior
Monica Kigozi

figure. The name Gazelle often

refers to the animal, as they are
known for being clam and peaceful,
and are often prey to predators such
as cheetahs or wild dogs. As a
female she is represented as a
countertype, and is deemed as the
villain, linking back to Propps
narrative theory. This overall
contrasts with the stereotypical ideology, of males typically being
villains in the action genre. This is reinforced by the high angle shot,
which represents her status and how fearless she is. Despite this, it
is present that Gazelle may have a disability or alteration to her
legs. It is seen that she has prosthetic legs however, they have been
altered so that knifes eject from them upon request. This further
shows how dangerously powerful she is, as knifes connote violence,
sacrifice and death. This is further supported by the use of non-
diegetic sound as it mirrors whats happening in the scene, the fast
playing violins connote tension and unease.

In Inception the director has created a clear representation of

intellect through Ariadne and Cobb, the differing ages, and how
characters age affects their overall mannerism. The audience see a
representation that the younger characters have a form of
knowledge that the older generation
lack. This is shown through the
diegetic dialogue when Cobb says to
the professor. I need an architect
who is as good as I was and the
professor replies with Ive got
somebody better. this reinforces the
idea that the young student
(Ariadne) has better understanding
and knowledge than Cobb ever did. The use of the zooming
connotes her significance within the scene and her being placed in
the centre of the frame shows the audience how she is now the
more powerful and dominate character. However, her costume
suggests that she is laid back and informal due to her wearing jeans
and top, which is deemed as casual everyday clothes.

Likewise, in Kingsman: The Secret Service the audience sees the

same representation that the younger generation have better
understanding than the older generation, this is supported by the
protagonist Eggsy being a teenager. However, due to Eggsy only
being in his late teens this juxtaposes with the stereotypical
protagonist ideal, which is normally a middle-aged Caucasian male,
who tend to be the hero, relating back to Propps theory, especially
Monica Kigozi

in British and American films. During the start of the film Eggsy is
presented as rebellious and deviant fitting the stereotype of a
typical teenager. This is
supported by the lowlighting
that highlights his intensions,
as they are negative and by
the fact that he hi-jacks
someones car. This is
present through medium shot
of him and his friends in the
car and his facial
expressions, this counteracts
with what the typical protagonists does.

In inception the director has created a clear representation of fast

thinking, intelligence and heroism through Arthur who is Cobbs
right hand man, also deemed as the helper, relating to Propps
narrative theory. Arthur is presented through a mixture of medium
close ups. This enables the audience to get an understanding on
how high his status is, as it is common to have medium close ups in
action movies as medium close ups often deem authority, which fits
into the codes and conventions of an action film. Arthur always
wears a suit and has his hair slicked back, which indicates that he is
professional and presentable, which is stereotypical in the action
genre. However as the scene progresses we then begin to see fast
pace editing and a shot reverse shot between Arthur and the
antagonist. The non-diegetic score
music helps to support the tension
between the two characters, as
we hear fast playing violins which
foreshadows that something bad
or a confrontation may occur
between the two characters
creating an element of mystery
leading back to Ronald Bathes
theory of enigma codes. To
reinforce this, we then see parallel
editing of whats happening at a
different location, which involves their driver Yusuf, trying fight his
own battles, as seen in the image, whilst trying to keep the
Inception crew safe and avoid crashing. The low-key lighting helps
to add to the pressure and tension. The sound bridge helps to link
these two scenes together as the tension flows through both scenes
thus linking with Todorovs narrative theory highlighting the
disruption.

In Kingsman: Secret Service the director has created a clear

representation of how Valentine the male antagonists is presented
Monica Kigozi

as a countertype, due to him being shown

as weak and dependent on others. To help
support this Valentines costume is very
casual, as he wearing snow boots and a big
coat, and this is to show us that his
surroundings are cold and snowy, this is
present in the image. This is then followed
by him wearing a New York Yankees cap
(snap back) this tells us that he supports the
American professional baseball team based in the New York City
borough of the Bronx. Valentine does not fit in to the typical
conventions of an action film, due to him being sickened when it
comes to violence and blood. We see
this in the scene when he says to the
man tied to the chair. No stomach for
violence, I mean literary I see one drop
of blood, that is me done. This diegetic
dialogue helps to support my point of him
not fitting into the conventions on an
action movie. However when this is
being said a low angle is present, as seen in the image, this is done
to show us how more superior Valentine is in comparison to the man
tied in the chair. This shows us how vulnerable the man in the chair
is. This angle counteracts with whats his representation is.
Valentines name is juxtaposes with who he is which is an evil
antagonist, who is trying to change the majority of the people in the
world into barbaric, vicious animals who can destroy everything in
their way and possibly even kill themselves. The name valentines is
tied into the 14th of February, which is Valentines Day, which
connotes love.

The protagonists in both productions are of differing ages however,

they both uphold equal representations, which for Kingsman: The
Secret Service goes against the stereotypical conventions as we see
a teenager being presented as the protagonist, and in Inception we
see the typical middle-aged Caucasian male as the protagonist
which is common in action films, due to the opposing ages a binary
opposition between the two films is present. In both films the use of
technical aspects is important and is constantly used to
demonstrate how dominant and important our protagonists are.

Word count 1,507

Monica Kigozi

Bibliography
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Strauss, L. (2013, December 30). Slide Share . Retrieved December
30, 2013, from Slide Share :
http://www.slideshare.net/LaurenMabs/levi-strauss-theory-29577382
Todorov. (2013, July 15). Slide Share. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from
Slide Share : http://www.slideshare.net/Katrinabrookes/todorovs-
narrative-theory-24244633