Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you were a fan of the original series.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Secret ending? No, but the credits roll is interesting.
Running time: 116 minutes (~2 hours)
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” is a spy comedy that’s a remake of the 60’s television series of the same name. Set in the political climate of the 60’s, it’s about two spies, one American and one Russian, forced to work together to thwart an even greater threat. It stars Henry Cavill (Napoleon Solo), Armie Hammer (Illya Kuryain), Alicia Vicander (Gabriella “Gaby” Teller”), Elizabeth Debicki (Victoria Vinciguerra), Jared Harris (Saunders), and Hugh Grant (Mr Waverly). It is rated PG-13.
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” was made with good intentions and a genuine attempt at an entertaining spy movie, but it’s mostly spectacular hits or awful misses in the movie, with the film rarely treading the middle ground. The uneven quality of the film (a boring plot laced with interesting scenes and interactions) means that it’s unlikely to fully please most audiences, but it has enough to keep you fairly amused throughout the film.
Highlights
Henry Cavill pulls off Napoleon Solo well
Henry Cavill’s range is quite impressive with his turn at Napoleon Solo in this film. His suave demeanour isn’t overly hammy (especially since this is set in the 60’s, where everything tends to be a little over the top), and his confidence never treads into dislikeable arrogance. Even when confronted with obvious failure or inferiority to his Russian partner, his performance as Napoleon Solo still retains that air of class and timelessness.
Rivalry and ego between Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin
The whole partnership is one big pissing contest between the two men, with each character’s testosterone getting in the way of each other. It never descends into a bitter rivalry though, despite their differences. Instead, it has more of a buddy movie type of feel, with this game of one-upsmanship being more of a challenge for both to bring their A game to the fore, rather than actually proving their superiority. They even end up saving each other’s lives as the movie progresses, showing that this rivalry isn’t personal.
In any case, it never gets in the way of their mission, so it shows that both characters still possess a worthy amount of common sense (unlike similar rivalries in other films).
Letdowns
No chemistry between Illya Kuryakin and Gaby Teller
There are few couples more unconvincing than this pair. Their interactions have all the intimacy of a pair of wooden dolls, with a forced sense of attraction to each other. Even in their more physical scenes, there’s a sense of detachment between the pair, as if they were just going through the motions of the film. This makes their love scenes a waste of time as it detracts from the main plot.
Armie Hammer is horribly miscast as Illya Kuryakin
You’ll never forget that Illya Kuryakin is Russian, because Armie Hammer literally hammers that fact into your brain every minute he’s on screen. Never mind the fact that he doesn’t look Russian, his stereotypical portrayal of Russians is cringingly awful. He’s effectively a Redneck with a thick, artificial and painful Russian accent. That, and the whole character arc of his terrible childhood gets resolved with a brush under the carpet.
But yeah, Armie Hammer is atrocious here.
Anti-climatic ending
There’s no true conflict or confrontation that conclusively caps the film. It’s more of a clever resolution to the threat that the antagonists pose. But in trying to show how smart and foresighted the main characters are, the plot forgoes a climax that’s expected of spy movies, resulting in a very lackluster finish for the movie.
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” is a character-driven film that, unfortunately, has one character acting like a dated sterotype. It’s saving grace comes from the amusing performances from the rest of the cast, coupled with cool set pieces and the whole buddy movie feel.
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” opens 3 September, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo.
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