The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) – Review

While watching The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I wondered whether or not I slowly was becoming “bitter” when it comes to specific type of movies. I doubt that my taste over the years has stayed the same. If you’ve seen a lot of movies then you know what can be expected of certain genres, such as in this case a spy film. This means that a film has to do something special in order to get me aboard. If it’s all pretty straightforward movies seem to become a bit boring. I want to be surprised.

This is the latest film from director Guy Ritchie, who was previously responsible for the entertaining Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, but also for the disappointing Sherlock Holmes films. He’s a director who knows how to tell a story with style. Can he do that with a story set in the sixties?

Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is a CIA agent who has the task of helping Gaby (Alicia Vikander) to escape from East Berlin so she can help track down her father, who seems to be working on a nuclear weapon. But they run into Russian spy Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), who is willing to do anything to stop the two. Unfortunately Solo and Kuyakin are forced to work together and take on a mysterious criminal organization.

 
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a feast for the eyes. The cast is so well dressed that they seem to have come straight from a fashion show. It brings the sixties setting convincingly to the screen. The rivalry between the Americans and Russians will is realised in a fun way by Cavill and Hammer, who each want to prove they are consistently better than the other. However, what is missing is depth, not only when it comes to the characters but also the story, which is never really memorable at all. After the exciting opening, the film doesn’t manage to achieve that same level of excitement. This spy film definitely has a certain entertainment value, but fails to make a lasting impression because it is too predictable.