The Man from U.N.C.L.E Movie Review: Amusing, Sleek, and Very Sexy

The Man from U.N.C.LE. is a fun movie. I’m admittingly a Guy Richie fan, and usually like anything he directs. This is no different. Richie brings his unique style of directing to the spy genre and it is an all-around entertaining movie to watch.  The performances are brilliant, the sets and clothing top notch, and everyone is fun to look at. If you are looking for two hours of quality fun entertainment check out The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The movie starts out with a great action sequence which pits Henry Cavil’s American spy character, Napoleon Solo vs Armie Hammer who plays the Soviet spy Illya Kuryakin. Thrown into the fun is the person Napoleon is trying to smuggle out of East Berlin, Gaby Teller played by the stunning Alicia Vikander. Ok take a breather that was a ton of names to process. You back? Good. The Americans need Gaby to help them try and find her father or the people who have kidnapped him. They soon find out an independent organization has kidnapped him and wants him to build a nuclear bomb. American and Soviet spies must work together with Gaby to stop an independent power from developing a nuclear bomb.

This is basically the plot of every 1960 through 1990 spy movie. You know what? I’m perfectly fine with this. This is a period piece. It is set in the 60’s and it is the logical plot our spies are going to have to foil. It’s not very inventive, but what makes the movie work are the actors and how they portray their roles. Henry Cavil knocks this role out of the park. He is amazing as an American spy. Cavil is insanely suave. The type of guy men want to be. I won’t speak for women, but I would imagine they would want to take him home.. I like that he is morally ambiguous. His villain streak isn’t very deep, but just enough to keep you guessing in later movies if they make them.  Armie Hammer is more of the straight laced spy, the role you would think would be played by the American.

I wasn’t sure if I would like Hammer playing a Russian spy, but he pulls it off. He is definitely a bull in a china closet to Cavils sophistication, but they work extremely well together. The chemistry leaps off the screen between all three main leads. The only problem I had with Hammer’s character was his bouts of uncontrolled rage.  They took me out of the movie every time he had one. It just didn’t fit with how a spy would act. Other than this his portrayal is great. The Soviets also seem to have the higher tech in the movie. Not something we generally see, and I liked that twist on a typical spy movie.

I don’t want to leave out Alicia Vikander. She is awesome as the leading lady. She holds her own with both boys in the film. She commands the screen along with them and she almost steals every scene she is in. It’s apparent she can play just about any character. Going from the AI in Ex-Machina to the witty and sexy spy in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  Her sixties outfits are great, even the pajamas she wears to bed. The only thing I didn’t quite buy was the romance between her and Hammer. It was just a tad forced. They have good chemistry, and there is sexual tension, but it seemed rushed and shoehorned in the movie. 

On the opposite side of our good guys is Elizabeth Debicki character Victoria. I liked that they chose a women to play the main villain in the film. I just wished they would have developed her a bit more. She was the typical evil henchman. Not sure how they could have given her more screen time to show her backstory, but it would have been nice. We rightly focus more on our main characters, but a more developed villain would have made the film go from good to great.

The action in the movie is tense and well directed. It’s not over the top, and it’s shot in Richie’s unique style. The action helps drive the movie forward.  The best parts of the movie however are the interactions of our three main characters. You want to see them banter and interact with one another. The movie had me laughing on more than a few occasions with its snappy dialogue. The delivery of the lines is a testament to Riche and the actors.

If you’re looking for a fun movie to watch check out The Man from U.N.C.L.E. We all have seen this story before if you watch spy movies. Watch this movie for the action, actors, and costumes. The movie does its job by keeping you entertained for the whole two hours. It isn’t one everyone is going to rush out and buy on blu-ray, but I think most people will stop and watch a bit of it when they see it popping up on network cable. Give The Man from U.N.C.L.E. a shot and you shouldn’t be disappointed.

My Rating: See in the Theaters/Will stop and watch whenever it’s on TV (Honestly I’ll probably buy it, but when it’s on sale)

Have you seen Man from U.N.C.L.E.? What did you think?