The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Dir: Guy Ritchie

2015

****

I generally don't like it when directors/writers/studios decide to make a big screen adaptation of a classic TV show and disregard the source material. I don't see the point. I understand the bit about cashing in on a well-known brand but why would you deviate away from what made the name a brand in the first place? I also don't like Guy Ritchie very much. So declaring myself as being 'pleasantly surprised' is somewhat of an understatement as Ritchie's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is one of the most enjoyable films I've watched in some time. I never really saw much of Ian Fleming in the original series but I did here. I'm a bit of a Robert Vaughn fan and I have always liked him and David McCallum's performances. It would have been lovely, although possibly too cheesy, to have had a cameo from both but I do understand why they had to distance themselves from the TV series. The concept is arguably too good to pass up on, there are many changes but all are justified in my opinion. Firstly, the film is set in the early sixties. A good move as it ensures a similar tone to the original and the time it was written and the gritty espionage doesn't become boring due to modern technology and ridiculous gadgetry. Ian Fleming's Napoleon Solo was always intended to be the TV version of James Bond but now that he is a film character in his own right, I have to say, I think I prefer him. Henry Cavill has been touted as 'the new Bond' a fair few times. He'd be good I'm sure but I much prefer him as Solo, his best performance to date in my opinion. A contemporary Solo wouldn't work and the James Bond films have become stale, Cavill did well to bag this character and he certainly relishes it. Armie Hammer is one of Hollywood's unlucky few, a great actor who is always attached to major flops. I've liked everything he's done, finally he's attached to something everyone agrees is good. Interesting how Hammer was almost Superman (and Batman) and Cavill was almost Bond (but chose Superman instead), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. goes a long way towards making it up for anyone who may feel cheated by these decisions. The brilliant Alicia Vikander is the would-be love interest and so much more than that. Women in spy/espionage films either good for killing off or sleeping with most of the time, Richie and writer Lionel Wigram have ensured that Vikander's character is just as important as the boys and she is brilliant in her role. The story is simple and unpredictable, it is very funny but is never a comedy, the balance being perfect throughout. The film is scattered with some brilliant, almost bizarre scenes that come out of nowhere that I absolutely love. During one of the films big action scenes involving a high-speed boat chase, Cavill's Solo swims ashore, finds a discarded picnic basket and proceeds to eat sandwiches while all the expensive action happens behind him in the distance. It's kitsch, its Fleming, it's 60's TV, it's very funny and it's the best of Richie. The original series is something of a cult classic and I think this could be too, a series would be something quite special if it were to carry on in the same vein. The hilarious, awkward and self-aware ending is one of my favourite of 2015 and had me beaming from ear to ear.