Official Tagline: At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.
Written by: Lionel Wigram & Guy Ritchie
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant
I have been looking forward to seeing The Man From U.N.C.L.E. after seeing the first preview a few months ago. The scenes made it seem like a fun action, spy movie and you know how much I like spy movies. I must also disclose that in my study of the James Bond films and the espionage / spy genre, I have watched some of the old The Man From U.N.C.L.E. television series. Plus the fact the late Ian Fleming [creator of James Bond] had a hand in creating the original series doesn’t hurt my interest level either.
I really enjoyed The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I found it to be a fast pace, fun action adventure movie. The main writers, Lionel Wigram & Guy Ritchie did a good job of creating a story of how U.N.C.L.E. was formed and how the two top agents Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) became a team, which is something the television series never did. This type of plot usually has two main characters who are enemies at first, but who eventually come to respect and value each other and this film does too, but it works here. This isn’t always easy to do in a film, Wild ,Wild West is an epic fail at attempting to take a 1960’s spy television series and translate to the big screen and the main reason was the two main characters never jelled as a team. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. makes it work and the performances of Cavill and Hammer go a long way in creating two very different characters who learn to trust and appreciate each other.
Director Guy Ritchie and crew create a beautiful version of the early 1960’s and the music score helps pull you into the 1960’s groove. The plot is fast pace, without too many holes, but I do think the final outcome of the main plot should have been a little more hands on for our two heroes. I’m not going to give details about the plot, you should see it for yourself, but it is a fun ride and at the end of the movie you find yourself wanting to go along on the next mission with the team to Istanbul [stick around for a few minutes after the credits begin] to see what trouble they can get into. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is not perfect, but is a fun action filled popcorn movie and worth seeing on the big screen.
Screen Writer Ink
Fade In Is Just The Beginning