THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (review)

Review by Elizabeth Robbins

Guy Ritchie really is on his game.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a great homage to the original 1960’s television series. Everything about the film has been crafted lovingly to pay tribute and give the audience a great origin story that is entertaining in its own right.

From the fashion, to the cars, to the soundtrack and score, right down to the font choice in the opening credits, no detail has been missed to recreate the 60’s.

Then it is spun on it head through Guy Ritchie’s modern, kinetic storytelling that challenges you to keep up with it’s breakneck pace.

At the heart of the Cold War suave, American spy Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is forced to team up with his rugged, Russian adversary, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) to find a former Nazi scientist before he can build an atomic bomb for a secret, criminal organization. Add into the mix Alicia Vikander as Gaby, the pint-sized mechanic with a Gidget factor of 10 and can handle a car like a pro for a teasing love interest, and Elizabeth Debicki as the sultry but ruthless villainess and you have all the ingredients for a classic spy thriller.

He may have had to kiss a few frogs to find his princes, but Guy Ritchie did well casting Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. They work perfectly with one another. Their humor is just campy enough to be reminiscent of the 60’s tongue-in-cheek spy genre without stepping over the line into groan inducing material. Alicia Vikander (who was stunning as the A.I. in Ex Machina) does a complete 180º in a comedic relief role, portraying the spunky Gaby, and steals more than one scene from her male counterparts.

Elements that have become over used to the point of becoming mundane have been overhauled by the Guy Ritchie machine. In partnership with cinematographer John Mathieson, and Ritchie’s longtime editor, James Hubert, Ritchie reinterprets the montage, creating almost a frenetic series of shots that pull the viewer into the action. Ritchie has filmed one of the best car chases I have seen in a long time.

And then, there is the style. The clothes, the make-up, the hair, the cars. Each room that is walked into, any extra that may stray into view of the camera, all of it painstakingly painted onto 1960’s canvas, bigger than life.

Most origin stories feel like a means to an end. Something that has to be made in order to “get to the good stuff”. Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. feels more a great first date.

Something that you want to tell your friends about, and you can’t wait for the next one.