I’ve been a Guy Ritchie fan since stumbling
upon Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
years ago. The man’s wry wit and distinctive visual style made him, in this
reviewer’s opinion, the UK’s own Quentin Tarantino. Ritchie has had great
successes with films such a Snatch
and of course, the Sherlock Holmes
franchise. I’m happy to report that Ritchie is in fine form with his big screen
adaptation of the cult 1960’s TV-series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Thankfully,
Warner Brothers resisted all temptation to bring The Man From U.N.C.L.E into the 21st century w/iPads,
Bugatti Veyrons and tattooed ladies. (Granted all of those certainly have their
appeal.) With this property, though, they showed some integrity and the result is
a Mad Men episode on steroids! Period
costuming, sets, vehicles and even the photography are absolutely spot on in
evoking the film’s era. This isn’t just a post card from the 1960’s, it’s a
love letter back to that stylish if troubled decade.
The
plot is simple, though not the thin framework upon which to hang stunning production
values it could have been. American art thief turned CIA agent Napoleon Solo
(Henry Cavill) is teamed with KGB strong arm Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) to escort
lovely East German mechanic Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) to find her long lost
father in Rome and stop him from completing a nuclear bomb for escaped South American
Nazis. Along the way they encounter complications from all sides, including
neo-fascist Italian industrialists, a power-mad wife (Elizabeth Debicki), even duplicity
within the team itself.
Henry
Cavill’s cleft chin and Superman jaw-line lacked the aristocratic feel of Robert
Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo. However, Cavill did give this performance a James
Garner air of all-American smart ass charm. Honestly, I’d rather see Cavill
play Napoleon Solo again rather than Clark Kent any day of the week and in a
double feature on Sunday.
Armie
Hammer turned in a strong performance as the two-dimensional Illya. Yes, the
character was lacking in development but no biggie, Ritchie’s expertise behind
the camera showcased Hammer perfectly.
Elizabeth
Debicki poured a disturbing composure into her femme fetale Victoria, the dominating
wife of the Italian industrialist supplying the means to create the nuclear
bomb. Not only does Debicki portray Victoria with cool slyness, she looks completely
stunning. Debicki’s Victoria could easily be an early-super model were it not
for her dark side, which itself is strangely alluring. Miss Debicki has
apparently played Lady Macbeth in a recent film version of the Scottish play;
believe me, THAT has gone on my must-watch list.
This
film’s only drawback would have to be the musical montages. Not that these are
poorly done or that the musical choices do not work with the images, it just feels
like there are too many. While entertaining, Ritchie’s style abuse here becomes
almost tedious.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E presents a Cold
War era action-comedy with genuine stunts, decent writing and good performances
all around. Guy Ritchie helmed a solid film; if not blockbuster material it is undeniably
quality cinema. Every penny of the $75 million dollar budget is up on that
screen to be enjoyed, and I recommend you do so! This is a bit of 1960’s retro,
Bond-esque fun. It is possible that we have not seen the last of Napoleon Solo
and Illya Kuryakin, so jump on this budding franchise while it’s still fresh.
P.S. – U.N.C.L.E stands for United Network Command
for Law and Enforcement.
