Review! The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) Directed by Guy Ritchie. Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki. IMDB says: “In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.”

After how much I enjoyed Kingsman and Spy earlier this year, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. solidifies that this must be the year of the special agent. All three of these movies were some of the most fun I’ve had at the theaters, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. might be my favorite of the bunch. I cannot stress enough how big of a smile I had on my face throughout. This is a movie that’s greatest concerns are entertainment and style, and it delivers on both accounts.

The plot is quite simple but the characters and gorgeous locale of Rome make it feel so much grander than it would in a more serious spy movie. Two agents, the American suave ex-con Napoleon Solo (Cavill, who’s jawline doesn’t quit) and the Russian volatile badass Illya Kuryakin (Hammer), are begrudgingly assigned to work together. Their mission is to work with Gaby Teller (Vikander) to find her father, a former Nazi scientist, and prevent the production and distribution of nuclear weapons. They must infiltrate a criminal organization, most specifically the woman running the show Victoria Vinciguerra (Debicki).

The four leads are all incredibly watchable in their own rights. Cavill and Hammer have the fun task of going toe-to-toe throughout their distrusting partnership, constantly giving each other a hard time and dishing one-liners. They’re hilarious to watch together. The boys are sexy too, but the girls? They’re a full force in this thing, rising higher than your average Bond girl. Vikander has chemistry to spare with a firecracker spirit and Debicki a fierce allure combined with wicked ruthlessness. All four are exceedingly charming and perfectly look the part for this Cold War setting.

Awesome 60’s era costuming gives the whole movie a fun, mod look with a playful, retro score by Daniel Pemberton tying it all together. Guy Ritchie’s direction shows a fresh take on standard spy action sequences, with fun edits involving split screens and neat little tricks (without reusing the same ones from Sherlock Holmes). The whole movie has a zip and cleverness that makes this stand on its own against the usual more serious spy movies and the satirical takes too.

I’ll leave my review with a plea: go see this movie. Please, go pay money and check it out (and hopefully love it as much as I do). I want to see a sequel. Halfway through the damn thing I wanted a sequel, and by the end it leaves you on a note that promises how good one would be.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is the perfect summer movie that I didn’t even know I should’ve been excited to see. The trailers weren’t that exciting so the only reason I really gave it a shot was because I enjoyed Guy Ritchie’s latest Sherlock Holmes movies. I’m glad I did because it is a super entertaining and fun film.

The cast is perfect for the film. Henry Cavill is so much more likeable in U.N.C.L.E. than he was in Man of Steel. He hits the dry wit/suave ladies man mark nicely. Armie Hammer is also funny but more of a loose cannon. This makes for some fun scenes. Alicia Vikander has less screen time than Cavill and Hammer, but brings a lot to the table anyway. Elizabeth Debicki is a great 1960’s style villain.

The plot isn’t too complicated. It doesn’t have many curveballs, but compared to other action spy films, it doesn’t feel lacking. For any lack of plot it may have, it makes up with in action. There is a great car chase right out of the gate, a boat chase around a compound, and even a third bonus chase. Watching The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was like watching a Sixties spy film with up to date filmmaking. It was fun to see the 60’s era spy gadgets and wardrobe. The whole film even felt like it had a 60’s filter over it.

I really don’t have anything negative to say about the movie. While it may not be the most sophisticated film I’ve seen recently, the amount of fun I had watching the movie would make me recommend it to anybody looking to go to the theaters to have a good time.