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.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Guy Ritchie (screenplay), Lionel Wigram (screenplay) | 5 more credits »
Stars: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander | See full cast & crew »
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) Movie Reviews
More like The BLAND from U.N.C.L.E.
19 August 2015 | by It_Is_Minus_9 (Brooklyn, NY) – See all my reviews
Somehow, Guy Ritchie managed to make a movie about cool super spies chasing bad guys through exotic locales during the Cold War totally BORING.
Jokes fall flat. Sight gags are tired before they even start. And the action sequences end just as they begin to get interesting (the island climax suffers the worst in this regard). I will give Guy this: his soundtrack cues for this are great (as they always are in his movies), but his usual bag of tricks, his visual flourishes, are lacking here. He relies too often on goofy, multi-colored split-screens to convey action instead of just CLEARLY SHOWING US THE ACTION.
As for performances, Armie Hammer pulls off his KGB character with some interesting choices. But I'm sorry, Henry Cavill is so vanilla that he can't match Hammer's big, bombastic performance. Cavill is totally miscast; almost feels like he belongs in a parody of this kind of movie and not the actual movie. I didn't find him suave, I found him bland and borderline unwatchable. And don't get me started on his stupid voice for this -- it sounds like a kid imitating the "dubbed" voice you normally hear on old Kung Fu movies.
The TV show was before my time, but I'm a big fan of Guy's movies (usually) and of modern spy films and this one really disappoints. Style and fashion are not enough to carry a movie. Better luck next time, Guy.
Storyline
In the 1960s with the Cold War in play, CIA agent Napoleon Solo successfully helps Gaby Teller defect to West Germany despite the intimidating opposition of KGB agent Illya Kuryakin. Later, all three unexpectedly find themselves working together in a joint mission to stop a private criminal organization from using Gaby's father's scientific expertise to construct their own nuclear bomb. Through clenched teeth and stylish poise, all three must find a way to cooperate for the sake of world peace, even as they each pursue their own agendas. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
