Review - The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

2015 has been a big year for spy films and they've all been great The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is no exception.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is an action/comedy/spy film directed by Guy Richie who co-wrote the film with Lionel Wigram. The film is based on the 1964 television series of the same name, it stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki and Hugh Grant.

The story is set in the 1960's, CIA agent, Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin have to work together and stop a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to produce nuclear weapons. 

I really enjoyed this film but its weak point is definitely the story, its not very engaging and its easy to not care about, its just a generic spy story, luckily what saves the film and keeps it interesting is literally everything else.

I was surprised how funny the film was, it is as much a comedy as it is a spy/action film, it has scenes which i thought were incredibly funny and very well thought through and i think that has something to do with Guy Ritchie, his films always have a certain quirky humour to them that is his signature.
The direction is also incredibly well done, like all of Ritche's film, he handles action and dialogue films very well in the film and also adds a 60's style to the film which made it feel authentic.

Alicia Vikander, Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill in The Man From U.N.C.L.E

The film is also very well cast, Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo was the highlight of the film for me, Cavill has never impressed me in a role until now, everything about his character worked, his brilliant, cheesy, american accent, his swagger, his humour it all worked, unlike Armie Hammer's Illya Kuryakin, he wasn't bad in the role but it was weirdly cast for Hammer to play a Russian including the dodgy Russian accent, but physically he was perfect for the role, seeing as Hammer is 6 foot 5, a giant of a man and physically intimidating.
Alicia Vikander was fantastic as always playing Gaby Teller, a mechanic, who Solo and Illya need help from on the case, she is the love interest for Armie Hammer and their chemestry is great, Vikander plays the character very quirky and she is a very good character,
Elizabeth Debicki plays Victoria Vinciguerra, the villain of the piece, she brings a lot to the character but the character isn't developed very well, you never understand the motivation for the character which means its hard to emphasize with her.
Last but not least is Hugh Grant playing the Alexander Waverly, one of the three characters the film uses from the show along with Illya and Napoleon, Waverly is the head of U.N.C.L.E, Grant isn't in the film too much but when he is he is his usual charming and funny self.

The Man From U.N.C.LE is a great spy film, the story lets it down but thankfully everything else makes up for it, Guy Ritchie's brilliant direction and Cavill's turn as Napoleon Solo is worth the ticket alone, its a very fun spy film, with not much more to offer, but that's not a bad thing, i recommend it to everyone.

3.6/5