Brisk,
exciting, funny—The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
is entertaining and intriguing from start to finish. Solo (Cavill) pops up well dressed in East Germany in a car
repair shop, and has a caustic back-and-forth with the mechanic who finally
slides up from under the car. It’s
Gaby Teller (Vikander), whom the Americans and Russians need to locate her
father, a missing German scientist who has been kidnapped and forced to work
for an evil company that wants to rule the world by developing state-of-the-art
nuclear warheads.
Solo’s
plan is to whisk her away and take him to her uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth) who
knows where her father is. The
trouble is, they are followed by an amazingly fit, persistent character in a
reckless car chase through the streets, and Solo finally has a physical
altercation with him. They do
manage to escape, with Gaby none too pleased to be on board.
When
Solo meets with his boss Sanders (Harris) the next morning (in a public
restroom no less!), he is astounded to meet up again with the mysterious man
who turns out to be a Russian spy, Illya (Hammer). Woe of woes they are now charged by the CIA and KGB with
being partners in protecting Gaby and locating Teller. Illya will be identified as Gaby’s
fiancé while Solo is to go undercover at the evil company and learn what he can
from their operation, particularly its current head, Victoria (DeBicki).
In
the process of the operation, we are entertained by Illya’s ill ease in a
“romantic” relationship, his deficit in anger management, and Gaby’s delight in
taunting and thwarting him every step of the way, such as drinking vodka and
dancing sexily in the hotel room when he is trying to concentrate and maintain
his composure.
Meanwhile,
Solo easily seduces Victoria at her lavish Italian villa on the Mediterranean,
with no apparent thought about her
master plan and the viciousness she is capable of. She knows who he is when he crashes her elegant party, and
is relishing the thought of besting him.
Casting
for the film was spot on, with Cavill showing the right amount of greasy charm,
class, and brilliance; Hammer adopting a convincing Russian accent, and
achieving the right balance in social anxiety, sheer muscle strength, and
competitiveness; and Vikander managing to be sexy, a physical wonder, and
always sensible. The two men’s
competitiveness is a hoot, first one then the other being one up. Vikander fits in easily as a mediator
and matching strategist. I loved
the equality among all three characters, with each making essential judgments
and suggestions in carrying out their mission. Sanders, Grant, and Kuznetsov as the CIA, MI6, and KGB
agents, respectively, are exactly right as well, although I must say, seeing
Grant in that role was surprising, but he did it well.
Guy
Ritchie, the director—as well as co-writer with Lionel Wigram and others—might
have an especially clever, charming, and entertaining spy thriller on his
record with this film. The
audience in the screening I attended was consistently engaged and
responsive. Cinematographer John
Mathieson (Phantom of the Opera,
Gladiator, 47 Ronin) deftly wielded the camera, managing to convey all the
action in difficult-to-capture scenes, as well as playing up the luxury and
elegance of place.
The
film has an exciting end, and a smooth segue into a preview for a follow-up movie.
Clever, well choreographed, and entertaining twists in an old favorite.
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