The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Guy Ritchie)

[Henry Gale]

IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1638355/) / Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_U.N.C.L.E._%28fil m%29)

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[Henry Gale]

Well, sometimes expectations are everything. Going into this season, I assumed I'd really love things like Mad Max and Mission: Impossible, and they delivered, therefore I did. I hoped Tomorrowland would be on the level of Brad Bird's past work, but was fairly crushed when it wasn't (even if I thought it still had a bunch of worthwhile elements). So after trailers for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. amounted to me going "Oh, I guess this now exists" and seeing marketing pushes made me think it was admirable/adorable that they were trying to make it seem like it could still be a hit, the movie itself sort of blindsided me as something that I was almost entirely riveted by, I'd now easily recommend, and even go as far as to championing. It has some pretty clunky introductory and closing elements, but the meat of it in between is some of the most fun I've had with this summer's big releases.

It's like the opposite of comedy trailers that give away all the best jokes. The marketing for this seemed to suck all of the thrilling and joyous elements in it and just seemed to splice together context-less explosions, blurry chases, and action-hero posing. Its dialogue and performances (with the exception of Cavill almost whenever he's given significant amounts of the former) have actual personality, and even if it's not a particularly unique one on the surface (Spies! Globe-trotting! Swanky undercover missions! Double crosses! These partners sure don't get along!), its confidence and gusto with its visuals and setpieces make it much better, suave and specific than it has any reason to be. It has a lot of clever sequences with elements that we see in everything, and that's kind of a feat in and of itself.

It might also be the most I've ever liked a Guy Ritchie film, and it succeeds while still very much feeling like one. My only asterisk would be I'm not sure if I've ever seen all of Lock Stock (and even if I have, it's been ages), but considering I thought his Sherlock Holmes movies were fine but nothing ever truly special (though the third act of A Game Of Shadows is the best case for the franchise's existence and success), I feel like Snatch is just a garbage pile of all sorts of stylistic wankery with a few fun performances helping to gift-wrap a box only containing with a note saying "I.O.U. a film" in it, and I've never had much desire to seek out his other stuff. But just like with Matthew Vaughn's spotty track record with me going into Kingsman, here Ritchie indulges in all of his best and worst traits as a director and manages to make them really well suited to the structure and vibe of the material at hand.

It's one of those movies that's brisk and boisterous in just enough of the right ways that you can mostly tune out how slight and empty-calorie its actual script and characterizations are, because it just moves so well. The action does some really inventive things (though sometimes with a budget lower than most tentpoles, you can often see its CG seams a little more when it goes all out), the soundtrack is given just the right sort of weight to carry the period and tone of it, especially when it feels awesomely dichotomous, and everything about it aesthetically - from the locations, the cinematography, the wardrobe, the art direction, the actor's faces - just looks so excellent and well-textured that if it wasn't also so genuinely efficient at delivering non-surface level filmmaking, I'd struggle with feeling really shallow for enjoying it so much on those levels alone.

Vikander is as lovely as ever to watch, continuing to solidify herself as one of the most reliable screen presences today, Hammer conveys more personality than I've seen from him since he was the Winklevii (and the two of them have one scene together that goes from tumultuous to one of the best, almost-kisses I can think of). Hugh Grant feels very underused as I don't remember one scene with him that didn't get a laugh from me, but he also comes in fairly late and disappears for significant stretches, when really he should've been a more major force in the plot. And Debicki isn't quite the powerhouse villain you'd want from an otherwise gorgeously frothy spy movie like this, but she's given some really stunning moments when she is utilized front and center. But as I alluded earlier, I don't know what Cavill is doing with his accent or a lot of other performance choices in this, and the less I talk about it the better, but at the very least he looks the part and he believably fills the role in sheer presence of someone who everyone in his midst (potentially even Hammer's Kuryakin, but admirably not Vikander's Gaby) feels sexually enraptured by. It's just a shame his performance often comes off as dull and awkwardly delivered as it does, that physicality aside.

My other biggest ongoing point of contention is how, in the most Guy Ritchie way, it chooses to utilize these instant-flashback twists. Meaning, as big storytelling shifts take place, we see them unfold in one confusing way, watch their aftermath, but then(!) through flashbacks to those same things that just happened, we get a new version of it from a broadened perspective after the fact to reiterate the same sequence of events with new information to maximize the surprise for the audience and the character it's being revealed to. It's less confusing than it sounds, but not any more satisfying. It tries to be this movie's version of his Sherlock Holmes slo-mo situation assessment, except kind of in reverse, and less effective. It's cool enough on a small scale the first time, but then it keeps happening, with less novelty or surprise each time. Luckily the film has a lot more to offer, particularly with its other visual storytelling and fights (whether they be with fists, guns, cars, offroad vehicles, motorcycles, boats, etc.) presented in such cool, unexpected ways.

It's hard to say what it's lasting impression on me or especially the culture will be, and as much as I'd now like it to do well and spawn an ongoing lower-tier studio franchise, it's not likely to (going by even my own lack of interest towards it before being told I was getting to see it for free). BUT for the two hours it unfolds and showcases what it's got, it's strongly focus, controlled and exciting stuff. And sometimes that's all a movie like this needs to be. I can't picture a version of this with the same general creative team and sensibilities that attempted deeper themes, more drastic character arcs and more serious subtext would've been something other than unsuccessfully sprawling either. As it is it's a fairly great, sugary piece of mid-August entertainment, and it's significant as such.

*** / 7.7

[Skitch]

Lock Stock is fucking hilarious. I love that movie so much.

[MadMan]

I'm a Guy Ritchie fan so I'll probably at least rent this.

[TGM]

So I intended to see Straight Outta Compton tonight, but it was sold out. So I guess I'm seeing this instead now. And, yeah, not nearly as packed a house for this one. :P

[TGM]

So I intended to see Straight Outta Compton tonight, but it was sold out. So I guess I'm seeing this instead now. And, yeah, not nearly as packed a house for this one. :P

Well that ended up being a pretty decent choice. Damn good movie. :cool:

[Irish]

This is good, but slight, and feels unnecessary in a year that saw a half dozen spy movies.

Ritchie's sensibility was perfect for it. Lotsa color, flash, and music. The sense of humor here, at least compared to Lock Stock, Snatch, and Sherlock, feels almost too restrained and a few times the movie veers into weirdly dark territory (Nazi doctors torturing the lead? Wtf?).

I liked Cavill. At least he seemed more attuned to the spirit of the thing, doing a lazy Roger Moore while wearing Sean Connery's clothes. Hammer remains likeable while projecting nothing at all; I'm beginning to feel sorry for him.

Biggest disappointment: Robert Vaughn and David McCallum are both still alive. McCallum still punches a clock every week on NCIS. Why weren't they given cameos in this?

Second biggest disappointment: This bombed big time, so I doubt there will be any follow up. It could have made for an interesting series, provided they let Ritchie fully off the leash.

[Dukefrukem]

Ritchie's sensibility was perfect for it. Lotsa color, flash, and music. The sense of humor here, at least compared to Lock Stock, Snatch, and Sherlock, feels almost too restrained and a few times the movie veers into weirdly dark territory (Nazi doctors torturing the lead? Wtf?).


This sums up the movie perfectly.

[Mal]

I enjoyed this even when it wasn't entirely engaging. Beautiful colors, production and a decent cast really help. I wish I had seen it in the theater.

[Grouchy]

Eh, this was bad. I actually think I respect Ritchie less because of it.