The
Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Compared to last week’s Fantastic
Four,
The Man From
U.N.C.L.E. feels like an Oscar
winner.
Set in the early 1960’s, Henry “Superman”
Cavill stars as Napoleon Solo – a former super thief who
chose to become part of the CIA instead of going to jail. He has
excelled in his new job.
Solo’s latest mission is to extract an East German mechanic,
Gaby (Alicia Vikander), from East Germany because her long lost father
is suspected of working with a secret group bent on obtaining a nuclear
weapon, and Gaby could lead Solo to the man in question.
Of course, Solo is far from alone on this mission as he is tracked by
one of the KGB’s top agents, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer).
He also excels at his job.
In a twist neither of our spies sees coming, the CIA and the KGB join
forces to hunt down this secretive group, who could endanger the entire
world, so these two are stuck together, and don’t like it one
bit.
Back in the 1960’s, the idea of the Soviets and the Americans
working together would be extremely shocking and novel, which made the
original TV show so memorable.
However, the premise in modern day relies on nostalgia that is more and
more extinct each day, so writer/director Guy Ritchie has to make The
Man From U.N.C.L.E. look
visually dazzling to appeal to a new generation. This renders it
humdrum.
Ritchie does a wonderful job making individual sequences sparkle and
crackle with flair and excitement, but dumps entire portions of the
plot on the audience like he is dumping a bucket of water on your head.
It’s almost as if Ritchie doesn’t think the plot
and the action go together, so you get one or the other, but never both
at the same time.
Don’t look to the cast to save The
Man From U.N.C.L.E. Cavill
gamely tries, but doesn’t quite have the rakish, roguish,
rascally charm needed to make Napoleon as cool as we want him to be.
He’s not commanding.
He doesn’t embody Napoleon Solo.
He plays Napoleon Solo.
Ritchie and co-writer Lionel Wigram give him the dialogue and
situations to do it, but Cavill is too stiff and reserved. In a movie
full of fun, breezy moments, situations and dialogue, Cavill needs to
go with the flow. At one time, George Clooney was interested in playing
the role, and it’s hard to imagine anyone bringing that level
of charm and talent after dreaming about what could have been.
Then, Vikander is lost as a character who is not quite femme fatale,
not quite worldly wise and not quite naïve school girl. Gaby
is not defined enough, and Vikander never finds the right footing to
portray her, even after we get the truth about our East German
mechanic.
Only Hammer is consistent and entertaining enough. As the unhinged KGB
agent with a bad temper, Hammer exactly is what Illya should be, and
brings out the best in Cavill as the two share a chemistry based on the
rivalry between the two characters.
The Man From
U.N.C.L.E. has an undeniable
entertainment value, so you can enjoy it from scene to scene, but
it’s not a great movie.
The
Man From U.N.C.L.E. is rated PG-13 for action violence, some suggestive
content, and partial nudity.
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