Kick-Ass is a 2010 superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn, produced by Vaughn and actor Brad Pitt, the script written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. The film premiered 26 March 2010 in the United Kingdom and premiered 16 April 2010 in the United States.



The film tells the story of teenage Dave Lizewski who sets out to become a real life superhero only to get caught up in a bigger fight. He meets Big Daddy, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down an evil drug lord, Frank D'Amico, has trained his eleven-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl.



Despite generating some controversy for its profanity and violence, particularly from the character Hit-Girl, Kick-Ass has received mostly positive reviews.

Plot

Dave Lizewski, an average teenager, wonders why no one has ever decided to become a real-life superhero like the heroes in the comic books. He decides to become a real-life superhero after being mugged while a bystander watches and does nothing. He buys a scuba suit on eBay as his costume and becomes a masked crime fighter, despite the fact he has no superpowers or training of any kind.

Dave fails miserably – he is beaten, stabbed, and hit by a car. He convinces paramedics to say nothing of his costume and pretends he was brought in naked. He spends several weeks in the hospital, where his bones have been repaired with metal plates and nerve damage has diminished his ability to feel pain. Returning to school Dave finds his longtime crush Katie Deauxma, is surprisingly interested in him - thinking he is gay and she wants to take care of him. He goes along with this in an effort to spend time with her.

Undeterred by his earlier setback, Dave intervenes in a gang fight, defending against three men using modified night-sticks. A bystander records the event on his phone, also capturing Dave dubbing himself "Kick-Ass". The video becomes an YouTube phenomenon, making Kick-Ass an overnight sensation.

Dave sets up a MySpace account so people can contact Kick-Ass. While spending time with Katie, she admits that she was being harassed by a drug dealer; he convinces her to ask Kick-Ass for help. He then investigates, ending up in an apartment full of violent lowlifes who try to kill him. He is rescued by costumed vigilante Hit-Girl, who kills all the attackers and then leaves with her father, Big Daddy. Later, they visit Kick-Ass, having tracked him down by tracing his MySpace account. Hit-Girl and Big Daddy inform Kick-Ass that they can work together, and they will keep in contact.

Believing Kick-Ass is responsible for numerous deaths within his crew and the theft of his drug money, local crime syndicate leader Frank D'Amico orders his men to eliminate him. D'Amico's son suggests a different approach, Chris poses as a superhero Red Mist, to entice Kick-Ass into meeting him, gain his trust, and lead him into a trap. Red Mist quickly discovers that Kick-Ass is no real threat, but they arrive to find D'Amico's warehouse on fire and his men dead. Red Mist retrieves surveillance footage which shows that Big Daddy is responsible.

Big Daddy, is revealed as a former "super-cop" Damon Macready. He swore vengeance against D'Amico who framed him and sent him to prison. While in prison his pregnant wife dies giving birth to their daughter, Mindy. Training his daughter to fight crime they become Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. Damon's former partner Marcus, discovers he is the vigilante Big Daddy. He argues Mindy has a right to a normal childhood but agrees to keep their secret.

Realizing the seriousness of his situation, Dave wants to quit. He tells Katie he is Kick-Ass, and she soon forgives him for lying about being gay, and becomes his girlfriend. Checking his website, Dave finds a flood of urgent messages from Red Mist, requesting they meet due to D'Amico putting a price on their heads, and asks Kick-Ass to bring Hit-Girl and Big Daddy. Arriving at the safe house, Red Mist shoots Hit-Girl, knocking her off a window ledge out onto the ground below. Kick-Ass and Big Daddy are captured and taken to a warehouse where the gangsters stage an internet broadcast, intending to unmask and execute the heroes. They are severely beaten and about to be set on fire but Hit-Girl kills the henchmen. Big Daddy is badly burned, dying of his injuries after a tender moment with his daughter. Kick-Ass tries to convince Hit-Girl to quit but she is determined to stop D'Amico.

Posing as a schoolgirl, Hit-Girl enters D'Amico's headquarters and kills the guards. Hit-Girl battles through the headquarters, killing nearly all of D'Amico's henchmen but is cornered when she runs out of ammunition. As she is about to be blasted with a bazooka, she is rescued by Kick-Ass, who flies in on a jet pack fitted with Gatling guns. Kick-Ass and Red Mist then fight, knocking each other out while Hit-Girl fights D'Amico in his office, struggling against the older well trained fighter. Overwhelmed and outgunned, D'Amico is about to shoot Hit-Girl, until Kick-Ass fires the bazooka blasting him out of the window, where he explodes in mid-air. Red Mist recovers, grabbing his father's sword only to discover Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl have already flown away across the city.

Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass retire from crime fighting, with Mindy living a normal life under the care of Marcus and attending the same school as Dave. Another wave of superheroes have been inspired by his exploits. Red Mist is shown donning a new mask and swearing vengeance, saying "Wait 'til they get a load of me".