The Man from U.N.C.L.E

Guy Ritchie takes a page from Steven Soderbergh in this hip, sleek spy caper based on another recycled idea. There is something nostalgic about the Cold War era on the silver screen, and although I never saw the original television show of the same name, the story has very generic qualities. KGB spy teams up with CIA to stop a nuclear threat in Europe. There are Nazi scientists, British Intelligence, deliberately placed outdated technology and vehicles, and beautiful exotic locales.

Uncle starts with a short, cleverly crafted Post-WWII history lesson in the form of the opening credits. Now that we're up to speed, we find Agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) rescuing an East German defector named Gaby (Alicia Vikander), while being pursued by the Ivan Drago of KGB agents, Illya (Armie Hammer). After some obligatory action scenes, the two professionals are thrown together and forced to collaborate in an attempt to prevent a nuclear war being propagated by a wealthy Italian shipping magnate. Hi-jinx ensue, and through twists and turns, double and triple crossing, and the contrasting suave Cavill and blunt Hammer keep reminding us of just how different the Cold War countries are portrayed on film, and perhaps the ideas that we have grown accustomed to without questioning.

Here's a riddle: What do British, American, Swedish, and French actors have in common? They play American, Russian, German, and Italian roles in this film. Only Hugh Grant plays his own nationality as the British Intelligence officer coordinating the United Nations of the Cold War spy game. I felt like I was watching Black Hawk Down (a mostly international cast playing Army Rangers and Special Forces). Cavill's American English is a bit too forced. Much like Christian Bale from American Psycho, his intonation and accents draw attention to his speech and not in a good way. By appearance, Cavill has the look of the next James Bond, and I don't make that comment lightly, but it's too bad he'll be busy playing Superman for the next half decade. Armie Hammer does his best Russian accent, and it works, but isn't entirely believable. He has the physicality of an action star, but every time I see him in a role, there is something preventing me from accepting him. It's possibly a personal bias, and he has a slew of films coming out in the near future, so I'll give him another shot. Alicia Vikander has come from seemingly nowhere to strike Hollywood hard this year. The amazing Ex Machina, working with Ritchie on UNCLE, the upcoming Oscar-bait flick The Danish Girl, and starring opposite Bradley Cooper in Burnt gives her an impressive year that will certainly lead to a strong acting presence in the future.

Guy Ritchie has a very unique style, but I have been disappointed by his slow decay into conformity. His first two films were brilliant; Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch. They reeked of freshness much like Tarantino's films did right around the time of Pulp Fiction. Unfortunately, Ritchie's budget increased, his ideas dried up, and his creativity stalled (Madonna?). His recent Sherlock Holmes films had some of his typical great camerawork, but otherwise sort of shunned his trademark edginess and dropped him down a notch in my book. The Man From U.N.C.L.E unfortunately continues this downward spiral. It's like if Steven Spielberg were to do a Will Ferrell comedy. Doesn't really work. I would definitely go see it, but it's not his wheelhouse. Guy Ritchie may be moving into a new phase as a director, and has a King Arthur revision coming out next year. I don't like it. I miss the garbled British slang, gangster crime stories from his early years, and maybe we'll see that again someday.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E is a bit of a head-scratcher for me all around. Cavill and Hammer didn't need to do this film, and Ritchie was the wrong pick. There had to be a feeling that it wouldn't be profitable, so the question is, what was so attractive about this project? Maybe it was the timing and the money, or maybe it looked better on paper. It's earned roughly half of its $75 million dollar budget domestically, and will likely make up the difference and more internationally, but it just didn't work for me. I do like Henry Cavill though, and would endorse his candidacy for the next James Bond. 6/10.