The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Written by: Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, Hugh Grant, Luca Calvani, Sylvester Groth
Action/Adventure/Comedy - 116 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 13 Aug 2015
Written by: Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, Hugh Grant, Luca Calvani, Sylvester Groth
Action/Adventure/Comedy - 116 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 13 Aug 2015
Since Guy Ritchie has yet to snag a James Bond film, he went out and made one on his own wrapping it in the guise of a 1960s TV show screen adaptation. His leading man has the suave moves, cavalier bravado during impossible life and death action scenes, a breathtaking lady, a gallon of sexual innuendo, and over-the-top villains hastening the end of the world. Part spy vs. spy and part good vs. evil, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. settles into a dueling banjos rhythm of spycraft as two leading men attempt to prove there can be only one. There may be nuclear weapons, Cold War tension, and even torture, but The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is not to be taken seriously; it is a refreshing chance to sit back and watch Guy Ritchie do what he does best, go overboard, yet keep us entertained.
In 1963, the United States and the Soviet Union were not on each others’ Christmas card list. The Soviets built a wall bisecting Berlin and the Americans practiced moving through, under, and over it to conduct their intelligence operations. The perfectly named Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill, 2013’s Man of Steel) is the CIA’s most effective agent; he can infiltrate any fortress, steal any secret, and usually performs these feats unbeknownst to the victim. Unfortunately for Solo, the KGB’s best and brightest, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, 2013’s The Lone Ranger), is every bit as adept as Napoleon and the two super spies realize fighting each other is as challenging as fighting your reflection.
In 1963, the United States and the Soviet Union were not on each others’ Christmas card list. The Soviets built a wall bisecting Berlin and the Americans practiced moving through, under, and over it to conduct their intelligence operations. The perfectly named Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill, 2013’s Man of Steel) is the CIA’s most effective agent; he can infiltrate any fortress, steal any secret, and usually performs these feats unbeknownst to the victim. Unfortunately for Solo, the KGB’s best and brightest, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, 2013’s The Lone Ranger), is every bit as adept as Napoleon and the two super spies realize fighting each other is as challenging as fighting your reflection.
The prize in the middle changes as the plot requires, but to start, it is the slight East German auto mechanic, Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander, 2015’s Ex Machina). If this actually were filmed in the ‘60s, Audrey Hepburn would play Gaby. They look alike, act alike, and Vikander might as well be Hepburn’s granddaughter, forgetting for a moment Vikander is Swedish while Hepburn is a once in a lifetime mix of British, Austrian, and whatever nationality heaven is. I digress. Through a quirky maneuver to create an oddball team to crack a case of global importance, the CIA and the KGB decide to team up; Napoleon, Illya, and Gaby will go undercover to thwart the creation and proliferation of some new form of nuclear weapon. It is unclear exactly what the new weapon can do but it matters none.
We’re not here for the science and technology; we’re here for Guy Ritchie’s trademark witty dialogue, the more than impressive action sequences, and some nostalgia for those of you old enough to remember watching The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episodes on TV. I was personally here for Vikander, but I’ll settle for those previous reasons as well. There is also plenty of scenery to chew on as British locales step in to create East Berlin and the wall, the real Naples, Italy, and some Italian island you would only every get to visit if you were a billionaire. Also, if you have ever been to Rome, prepare to be taken right out of the film when the gang somehow walks around the corner from the Spanish Steps to the Roman Forum. I don’t think so.
Guy Ritchie films are also known for their flashy, playful cinematography. Director of Photography John Mathieson has never worked with Ritchie before but he knows his way around Italy and action; he shot Gladiator. The opening chase scene watching Illya chase Napoleon and Gaby is choreographed and shot perfectly. The cars join together as they swerve and spin out of control but most of all, notice how much the camera does not move. The two cars are side by side at a traffic light, bullets are going to fly any second, but instead of movement and quick cuts, Ritchie and Mathieson slow it down and let us shower in tension and suspense for an extra 30 seconds. Ritchie does it again in a hotel room. Gaby makes a perplexing phone call and instead of some obnoxious soundtrack and the jump cut, the camera slowly glides backward out of the room with Gaby off center staring straight ahead.
I’m going into so much detail here because of how well all of these decisions work. A late summer action film recalling a second tier TV show could have just gone through the motions. Instead, Guy Ritchie injects the entire project with style, an adequate plot, and two not über-famous men, but men who can hold their own. Hammer’s thick Russian accent sounds too well done past medium but that is just a quibble. As an origin story, Ritchie sets up The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to be a franchise if the studio so chooses, but I suppose that is up to the box office to determine. Whether or not audiences tune in en masse, I hope they know this is not Guy Ritchie marking time waiting for another Sherlock Holmes movie to come around; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is fantastic…and Alicia Vikander is in it.
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