The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

The high-powered and hyper-kinetic ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ is a pulsating production that one would expect from the off-kilter imagination of writer-director Guy Ritchie whose flashy and furious actioners such as ‘Snatch’ and ‘Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels’ are indicative of the filmmaker’s excess frivolity. So it is not much of a shock that Ritchie’s big screen adaptation of the iconic 60s television series that featured the retro-suave Robert Vaughn and golden-haired heart-breaker David McCallum takes on a sleek, stylish and impishly erratic mix of intrigue and frolic.

The consensus is that ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ continues the wave of nifty and naughty-minded colourful espionage spectacles that seem to have invaded the summer of 2015. Perhaps when one cries ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ it will not be as challenging or convincingly crafty as the more cerebral and stimulating ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’. Still, Ritchie’s off-beat serving of ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ is mindless fun and roguishly cheeky.

Sure, at times the boisterous bounce in ‘U.N.C.L.E/’ feels rather strained as Ritchie’s foray into the James Bond-esque territory featuring the off-balance smoothness of twitchy twosome Brit Henry Cavill (the ‘Man of Steel’ star portraying American CIA Agent Napoleon Solo) and Armie Hammer (incidentally sporting a catchy and clever moniker) as Russian KGB Agent Illya Kuryakin spirals into a cliched cavalcade of mischievousness drowned out by surging surf music, crazy-minded and bright-coloured landscapes, perfect-looking protagonists and wildly penetrating predicaments in its manufactured action sequences. Nevertheless, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ still generates a sense of rousing charm and insane impishness to carry out its agenda for off-the-cuff espionage escapist frolicking.

Some may not mind the make-up of ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ as a saucy buddy action flick in disguise as Cavill and Hammer drolly inhabit the kooky coolness of TV’s dynamic duo spies from yesteryear. Nobody will ever claim that Cavill and Hammer are trying to ape the small screen spying antics of original U.N.C.L.E. bad boys in the aforementioned Vaughn and McCallum any time soon. The exaggerated juiced-up chase scenes, the inclusion of high-volume spunk and wit, devious femme fatales that parade around as hormonal trophies…all add to the high-wire hedonism of Ritchie’s off-centered international gun-toting caper.

Ritchie’s co-written screenplay, along with Lionel Wigham of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ fame with ‘Harry Potter’ producer credits, does not provide much of a deep-seeded story other than its need to indulge the audience in its shifty shenanigans as an over-the-top ode to a classic couple of televised operatives that baby-boomers will fondly recall from their childhood reminiscences. The premise is somewhat painfully familiar as two clashing spy guys with different approaches to the espionage game join at the hip to stop a madman planning to engineer nuclear destruction for a vulnerable world. Of course, in attempting to stop such unthinkable madness we are overcome with the philosophical tactics and mannerisms of the targeted tandem looking to spread some spice along the way in saving the world from certain cartoonish devastation.

Solo is the capable cad whose free-spirit and ease on handling a sticky situation is met with instinctive, cavalier American ingenuity. Kuryakin, on the other hand, seems to be disciplined in his uptight ‘play-it-by-the-book’ demeanor as the cold Russian enforcer without a sense of straying from his boundaries. Together, this debonair ‘ying-and-yang’ pair of free-wheeling agents form as one in their mission to foil the demented deed of others. Isn’t that special?

In essence, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ believes in its wheeling-and-dealing hype and that is not necessarily a bad thing. It does not pretend to be anything other than what it is at large, a spry, jet-setting caper where playful doom and gloom is played out against a backdrop of elegant locales not to mention a spruced-up soundtrack to accompany the animated proceedings. As usual Ritchie punctuates his theatrical releases with loose-minded lunacy happening at a fast pace. The outlandishness of ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ is truly true to form in the tradition of the funky and frenetic fables that Ritchie loves to spin at will.

Both Cavill and Hammer seem to get inspiration out of their dressy roles as the inventive spies with a knack for carousing and chaos. The wily women that are at the center of attention for Solo’s/Kuryakin’s romancing interests in Elizabeth Debicki’s vivacious Victoria and Alicia Vikander’s toxic Gaby is refreshingly stimulating and reinforces the suspenseful jolt. As the commanding Waverly that oversees Solo and Kuryakin, Hugh Grant does not hold a candle to the late great character actor Leo G. Carroll, that was so memorable as the head honcho that pushed the buttons in the background for both Solo’s ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ and later April Dancer’s (Stephanie Powers) ‘The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.’

So here is to the jousting ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ enjoying its considerable A.U.N.T (‘A Unique Nifty Time’) at the busy summertime box office.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Warner Bros. Pictures

1 hr 43 mins.

Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Groth, Christian Berkel, Luca Calvani, Misha Kuznetsov and Hugh Grant

Directed and Co-Written by: Guy Ritchie

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre: Spy/Espionage/Action & Adventure/Spy Thriller

Critic’s rating: ** 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)

I know Ritchie gets a lot of flak for being a Tarantino copyist, but I really enjoy the films of the Brit that I've seen so far. They're great fun and more enjoyable than the grim-a-thons that the James Bond, Mission: Impossible and Jason Bourne franchises have churned out, though I love those as well. I thought the casting was a nice in-joke, pairing DC Comics' Superman with Marvel's Captain America, and I have loved Alicia Vikander's work since seeing her years ago in 'A Royal Affair'. I thought at the time she exuded both acting chops and sensuality out of every pore and would be a real monster if she ever went international--which she definitely has, both here and in 'Ex Machina'. Though I have never seen the TV series, I felt the camaraderie between the stars was refreshing, the car chases and other stunts were excellent, and, in a year most saturated with spy films (thankfully, for enthusiasts such as I), although it tanked at the box office, I for one hope it becomes a franchise. Why put the brakes on a good thing?...

> A very pleasing action-comedy with the balanced sensitive contents.

Another brilliant action-comedy from Guy Ritchie. I never saw the 60s television series of the same name, but this was very convenient for his style of portraying the tough men showing off their strength. The actors were simply wonderful, two year commitment by the two lead guys for this project definitely payed off well and Alicia Vikander filled the feminine void perfectly. I think it was one of the best trio in the movies I ever seen, very powerful and I hope it lasts for a trilogy.

The story sets in the 60s during the cold war tension between the world's two superpowers. But the film's specialty was, it does not render clash between them, instead they come together to fight the rogue forces who plan blitz against them. Very humourous, highly entertaining with a swift pace and amazing action sequences.

I don't think the narration had any unique twist and turn, instead I call it a smartly written screenplay. So the overall movie was so good, but not a top-notch. My disappointment came from the technical side in some of parts, especially the bike and car chase in the last quarter that you can clearly tell a fake (greenscreen/bluescreen shot). Other than the main plot and its clever scenes, the movie did not offer distinctive features. Just taking away a ½ point is what places it on a line between good and average, but I definitely consider it a good.

6½/10

_The Man from UNCLE_ 2015 #Action #Comedy Origin story of UNCLE 8/10 tinyurl.com/hvakyx4 🎬 🃏 👍 ⏰ 🔫 🎼

In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo competes with KGB agent Illya Kuryakin to find Gaby Teller's nuclear scientist father. They need to get her out of East Germany first, then follow leads to the father, who seems to be building a bomb for a rich family in Italy. Will they stop the use of the nuclear device? Will Napoleon survive torture by Gaby's Nazi uncle? Be ready to laugh; this is not a dark humourless POS like the superhero films; rather, it's a light hearted romp.

*Image courtesy of The Movie Database*

This could never be described as Guy Ritchie's best work, and Henry Cavill really is about as rigid as that jaw bone of his - but it does have redeeming features. It doesn't take itself at all seriously; there are loads of gadgets, stylish costumes and the even a soupçon of a score that could have been penned by Morricone. Set against a background of cold war mistrust, Illya Kuryakin (a comically thick-accented Armie Hammer) partners up with Cavill ("Napoleon Solo") to prevent an evil Spectre-like organisation from proliferating nuclear weapons. Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki provide added glamour - and quite a bit of what menace this rather weak effort generates. I am not sure if it is intended (or not) to be a sort of "Bond" meets "the Saint" spoof - but it's tongue is firmly planted in it's cheek; there are quite a few decent comedic sequences and Hugh Grant manages to steal the few scenes he is in - as the enigmatic "Waverly". It obviously comes across way better than the original television series, but maybe that's the problem - it is all just a bit too classy and slick when it needed to be a bit more rudimentary.