A Brit playing an American, an American playing a Russian and a Swedish playing a German. It all smells like a Guy Ritchie recipe, and very tasty at that. Co-written and directed by Guy Ritchie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a wonderful throwback to vintage, spy thrillers. And with the snappy humour of Ritchie films, this film was nothing less than entertaining.
In all honesty, it should have done slightly better in the box office, garnering mostly good reviews. Since Ritchie’s last film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, four years ago, this film delivers all the right notes. The directing, with hints of his signature filmmaking, is a tad different from his past works. Ritchie brings to life a very convincing portrayal of the espionage world of the 60s. Mind you, this is a fictional story after all, which means there’s plenty of tomfoolery to be had.
British actor, Henry Cavill (you may know him as Superman) plays an American CIA agent, Napoleon Solo. He’s got all the technical skills of a super-spy, and channels the womanising ways of another agent we all know of (wink, wink). His counterpart Illya Kuryakin, played by American actor Armie Hammer, is a KGB agent with extraordinary physical abilities, who performs each assignment with unwavering efficiency. Up until he meets the beautiful Gaby Teller, portrayed by Swedish actress Alicia Vikander.
As sweet as the interaction between Illya and Gaby is, the real chemistry falls between Cavill and Hammer. These two do an incredible job playing off each other. It’s also quite charming watching two very tall and able men behaving immaturely throughout the film, after unexpectedly forced to work together. The action, comedy and overall performances by the cast sums up for a delightful film. More importantly, this film doesn’t pretend to be what is not. Given the source material, as this film is based on the 60s television series of the same name, you couldn’t expect it to be any better. However, there’s plenty of room and hints of a sequel. Ritchie will have to sit down with a grin on this one.
Interestingly enough, Tom Cruise was originally offered the role of Solo, but opted out to concentrate on his own Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Fortunately, the cards fell into the right hands. It’s a win/win for everyone, really, just like this film and its open-ended, stylish finale. Worth the watch? You bet. In fact, you won’t mind watching it more than once. And let’s not dismiss the idea of a sequel either.
