Robyn Candyce
Based on the hit 190’s T.V. show of the same name, directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Ritchie and Lionel Wigram “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” follows a former white collar criminal Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill, ”Man of Steel” ) turned CIA agent, who must team up with a poorly tempered Russian agent, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, “The Lone Ranger”) – originally sent to kill him – in order to protect a young mechanic, Gabby (Alicia Vikander, “Seventh Son”) in the hopes she will lead them to her father so they can stop the detonation of a nuclear weapon he is building for a criminal organization.
While full of humor, action, great costumes, neat locations, cool “retro” spy toys, well done fight scenes and a good score (seriously props to the production and design teams there is some really excellent work featured in the film) the movie does feel as though it’s drawing off other television shows (such as white collar) and films in the spy genre, making it more like the television show’s fourth and final season – a season meant to spoof the entertainment industry’s and spy scene from the 1960’s and before – and less like the first couple of seasons which strived to maintain originality while being loosely based on characters created by Ian Fleming .
This reboot of the T.V. series though isn’t without allure. Cavill, Hammer and Vikander give very fun performances clearly inspired by the acting styles of the 60’s, and at no one point does one steal the show away from the other. This trio of actors have excellent chemistry and they are very entertaining to watch. The directing and writing is “007” stylish and fast paced which makes the length of the film fly by. Additional performances worth mentioning are Hugh Grant (Waverly, “Cloud Atlas,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary”) and Elizabeth Debicki (Victoria, “The Great Gatsby”) whose portrayal of their characters just makes the movie more engaging. Honestly if you’re looking for an original spy film, breath taking in its uniqueness, this is not the film for you, it had many great qualities. Separation from other films in its genre wasn’t one of them. If you’re a fan of well-made and fun action, adventure, spy films this is a terrific film for you to go see. As an audience member I would encourage you to go see this film, it is a great way to end your summer “film spree.”
