(Yank Vs. Russkie - let the games begin....)
CAST: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant, Jared Harris.
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and some amusing wannabe-Bond antics straight ahead...
IT'S LIKE THIS: In our previous review for the stupendously wonderful MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION, we discussed how every few years we seem to have a "Spy Dick Measuring Contest" between Ethan Hunt and James Bond. Three years ago we had SKYFALL vs MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL. This year, we have SPECTRE vs MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION. On top of that, though, we have a little upstart wanting to get in on the action, like the pesky youngest brother trying to hang with the two older brothers.
That "youngest brother" is our next review, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., a big-screeen version of the series of the same name that ran for a few seasons in the late 60s and early 70s. I should note that Ian Fleming, who gave birth to James Bond (not literally, dopes) also gave birth to Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin, the two wanna-be Bonds from THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Anyhow, this movie is basically about Solo (Henry Cavill) and Kuryakin (Hammer) trying to outsmart a tall, sexy Italian countess, Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki), and keep her from using a stolen nuke to, well, I guess nuke someplace.
Also swept into the melee is pixie-ish German auto-mechanic Gaby (Alicia Vikander). Clearly, she's supposed to be the tomboy counterpoint to Victoria's chic elegance - and boy is she ever. Imagine the scrappy Dr. Christmas Jones from THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH in her tank top, shorts, and workboots standing next to the chilly sexiness of Elektra King in her purple lace bodice/satin skirt, and you have an idea of what director Guy Ritchie is going for with his two leading ladies.
Anyway, Solo and Kuryakin try to use Gaby to infiltrate Victoria's inner circle to figure what our Elektra King Lite villainess is up to. I don't have to tell you that it doesn't go too well. What with Solo and Kuryakin constantly forgetting the mission to bicker like two gay lovers who've been married for a decade.
Men.
THE DUDE OR DUDETTE MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Equal parts Solo and Kuryakin. I wish I could say Gaby brings something to the table, but until very late in the game she's basically just chilling on the sidelines, texting or something. And given that this flick is set in the late 1960s waaaaaay before texting was invented, that's saying a whole lot, isn't it? Talk about an easy paycheck, Alicia.
MOST INTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: The final chase scene involving our trio of heroes trying to stop the lovely Victoria from nuking the shit out of Peoria or something.
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: Victoria drugging Solo's drink and pacing like a sexy cat circling its prey as he loses consciousness. Yowza!
AND THE "EYE CANDY AWARD" GOES TO: Visually, Henry Cavill is perfect. But he has the screen presence of a wet mop. Armie Hammer is arguably not as aesthetically cute as Cavill, but he's definitely got tons more personality, so he wins the male side of this contest. Speaking of wet mops, Elizabeth Debicki takes Alicia Vikander by the collar and cleans the floor with her - the runs off with the female side of the award. In her sleep. Go, Liz!
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: What is Victoria up to? What does she plan to do with the missing nuke? Will Solo and Kuryakin be able to stop her? Will Gaby actually do something useful besides pout and jump up and down on the hotel bed? Will this end in nuclear annihilation? What the hell is up with Alicia Vikander's wardrobe in this movie? Is she supposed to be a nutty schoolgirl?
FINAL ANALYSIS: I'm not too familiar with the TV show from the 60s/70s that THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. is based on, but the big-screen version is technically-well made and diverting entertainment that is helped considerably by some strong supporting work from Elizabeth Debicki and Hugh Grant, and a solid co-starring turn by Armie Hammer. Henry Cavill and Alicia Vikander, while okay, never really make their roles sing, the way Hammer, Debicki, and Grant do.
Also, Guy Ritchie brings such a breezy, assured style to the proceedings that any weak spots posed by Cavill and Vikander's lack of "ooomph" are easily papered over. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. aims for the effortless charm of the early Bond films (not surprising since Ian Fleming helped create the series) and comes very close, indeed. It's solid spy entertainment with the right touches of light humor. It's been rumored that Cavill meant for his role as Napoleon Solo to be viewed by the Bond producers as an unofficial audition for the part of James Bond that Daniel Craig is also rumored to be getting weary of. If so, Cavill may need to try again, because he doesn't so much as embody the part of a suave spy, but impersonate it as if he's doing a skit. In short, you can always seeing him acting.
However, he's acceptable enough not to hurt THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. If someone with stronger acting chops (and not just perfect looks) was hired for the role of Napoleon Solo, Armie Hammer would've had a stronger foil and the film would be more than just solid entertainment. Oh, well....
