Man from U.N.C.L.E., The (2015) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Comedy

In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.

Storyline: In the 1960s with the Cold War in play, CIA agent Napoleon Solo successfully helps Gaby Teller defect to West Germany despite the intimidating opposition of KGB agent Illya Kuryakin. Later, all three unexpectedly find themselves working together in a joint mission to stop a private criminal organization from using Gaby's father's scientific expertise to construct their own nuclear bomb. Through clenched teeth and stylish poise, all three must find a way to cooperate for the sake of world peace, even as they each pursue their own agendas. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Michael Reuben, November 13, 2015 -- "Christ, I miss the cold war!" cursed Judi Dench's M, in a moment of frustration in Casino Royale. Apparently so does Hollywood, because it keeps returning to that conflict for inspiration. The Cold War-era TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., ran for four seasons on NBC from 1964-1968 and featured a wish-fulfilling scenario in which an American agent and his Russian partner cooperated in the pursuit of justice under the umbrella of an international organization. Just as the show was inspired by the James Bond franchise, the agents' usual nemesis was based on Bond's adversary in the early films. Known as "THRUSH", it was a SPECTRE-like organization that spanned the globe and held to no ideology other than its own power and supremacy.

For almost twenty years, producer John Davis struggled to create a big-screen U.N.C.L.E. adaptation, commissioning over a dozen scripts, considering innumerable leads and attaching such major directors as Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh. But it was writer/director Guy Ritchie who finally cracked the puzzle by jettisoning much of the original U.N.C.L.E. story and returning Agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin to their roots, before the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement ever existed. Ritchie's film, which he co-wrote and co-produced with his partner from Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Lionel Wigram, used The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s big-screen debut as an opportunity to provide an "origin story" for Solo, Kuryakin and their partnership in an organization that operates independently of all governments. The result isn't entirely successful, but it's strong enough to start a franchise, assuming someone can come up with a good story for a second film.

It's 1963, and both the U.S. and the Soviet Union are in hot pursuit of a formula for enriched uranium that could alter the balance of world power. The only known lead to this precious scientific breakthrough is an East Berlin car mechanic named Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander). In the film's opening sequence, which is arguably its best, Gaby becomes the prize fought over by the two top agents of the CIA and KGB, Solo and Kuryakin (Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, neither of them using his real accent). Though outwardly different in style, the dapper Solo and the bulldog Kuryakin share a common rebellious nature. Both came to their agencies from checkered backgrounds, and each has to be routinely reined in, if not overtly threatened, by his respective boss, CIA Chief Sanders (Jared Harris) and KGB Commander Oleg (Misha Kuznetsov).

Having first met in battle, neither Solo nor Kuryakin takes it well when their bosses order them to work together against a common threat. With great difficulty, a temporary (and competitive) detente is imposed on both agents. The enemy is a covert neo-fascist organization headed by an Italian power couple, Victoria and Alexander Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki and Luca Calvani), who are the heirs to a family shipping empire but whose real business is atomic weaponry made with the new formula's enriched uranium and sold to the highest bidder. Gaby provides Solo and Kuryakin with an entree to the Vinciguerras through her Uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth), who works for them. The mission requires elaborate outfitting in the latest fashions and takes the trio initially to Rome and then to the Vinciguerra estate, where racing cars roar, the glitterati gather and chic-ness abounds. One could almost forget that these spies have a mission to accomplish, and indeed there are moments when the movie seems to do just that.

The original Man from U.N.C.L.E. began as a sort of Bond Lite, a spoof of the newly popular Bond film franchise. Robert Vaughan's Napoleon Solo substituted a smirking attitude for the fancy locations and big stunts that no Sixties TV budget could afford. A succession of guest stars provided sufficient variety to replace the extravagance of the Bond films' sinister villains with their deadly minions. As the seasons progressed, the show's plots became progressively more absurd, the dialogue more tongue-in-cheek and the THRUSH plots more far-fetched (a drug to heighten human senses? not exactly world domination material). Ritchie and Wigram have clearly drawn inspiration from the same well of mockery, but they are working on a wider canvas with a more extensive paint box. The parade of Sixties fashions, hairstyles and vintage decor is gorgeous, but after a while one yearns for something more compelling than designer eye candy punctuated by quips and inside references to beloved spy films. Ritchie's U.N.C.L.E. often feels no more substantial than one of the plots from an episode of the TV show, but padded out to twice the running time with extra characters and La Dolce Vita daydreams (only now in color).

Even if you don't know the name "Mr. Waverly" from the original show, you will recognize him as a person of importance when he appears, because he's played by Hugh Grant. Grant may lack the dryness that Leo G. Carroll imparted to the original character, but he has a promising edge. His Waverly provides the bridge to a future franchise that might resemble something like the television show's parody of a covert organization, with its clandestine corridors, wondrous gadgetry and secret entrance located in the dressing room of a nondescript tailor shop. These were essential elements of TV's U.N.C.L.E., and perhaps they will appear in a future film, along with THRUSH or some other improbable villain. (I always liked the businessman named Alexander, whose motive for conquering the world was simply that his name was "Alexander".) In this film, however, the villains get too little screen time, and their scheme doesn't amount to much, because the heroes have to focus on establishing their relationships. Now that we know who they are and they've come to know each other, maybe next time they can entertain us by saving the world instead of arguing constantly. Obviously, they'll still look sharp and retro as they do it.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is pretty to watch and fun while it lasts, but it's also forgettable the minute it ends. It feels like a long preamble to a film that is just getting started when the credits roll—and, indeed, the credits play over an interesting display of dossiers about the future members of the U.N.C.L.E. organization, containing much information not otherwise mentioned in the film. If a terrific sequel follows in a year or two, we may look back at this as a fitting chapter one, but for now it's still a question mark. As a technical matter, the Blu-ray is certainly above reproach.

[CSW] -3.6- Tagline: "Saving the world never goes out of style." This excellent spy actioner was adapted from the popular spy series of the 1960s, starring Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo and David McCallum as Illya Kuryakin (McCallum currently stars as Dr Donald "Ducky" Mallard on the NCIS TV series). It is on balance a good adaptation and excellent popcorn actioner. As in the series, the story is set in the 1960s, with Solo, Kuryakin and Teller enlisted to participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, headed up by Victoria Vinciguerra and her husband, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons. It's a good story, well-paced, with superb acting throughout and excellent craftsmanship by Guy Richie behind the camera. There is also plenty of humor sprinkled throughout which adds immensely to the enjoyment of the film. Bottom line, it's a highly entertaining, enjoyable film that will go well w/your popcorn!.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10.


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