#REVIEW: “THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.”

Review by Jonathan Godfrey for Mr. Will Wong

Guy Ritchie is a Director who certainly has earned his adoration. His start was Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, and aside from being Swept Away with Madge, Guy’s work has been RockNRolla. So let’s continue with the good news, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is yet another amazing Film on his hands.

It’s a revamp of the 60s Serial by the same name. It’s a slice of Bond, like espionage starring an American in the place of a Brit. Well, in the case of this Film it’s starring a Brit as an American. Napoleon Solo is his name, and Henry Cavill is the actor who plays him. Armie Hammer plays his Russian partner Ilya Kuryakin. Amidst Cold War tensions, the two are coerced into working together to thwart a rogue nuclear threat. And odd-couple if you will.

Elizabeth Debicki plays Victoria Vinciguerra, an heiress eager to conquer the world. Alicia Vikander plays Gaby Teller, a mechanic from the Eastern Bloc able to impede on Victoria’s efforts. Solo & Ilya team up with Gaby to find Victoria’s bomb in the luxurious confines of Rome. Shot with the skilled eye of John Mathieson (see Gladiator, see 47 Ronin), Rome is as edible to the eye as is the Film’s fashion. Costume Designer Joanna Johnston (see Lincoln, see Forrest Gump) flexes her fashion muscles yet again, and creates some of the swingingest sixties styles that cinema has ever seen.

In addition to its splendid visuals, its soundtrack is absolutely incredible. Ritchie knows how to put a project together. Period. For twenty years, U.N.C.L.E. sat in pre-production, and every star under the sun was attached to it at some time or another. Now the stars that stage it are the ones we won’t forget. Cavill and Crew all do an excellent job as the multi-national spy syndicate masked in ambiguity. Hopefully this will be the start of something beautiful, a new Franchise like Guy’s Sherlock. If not, he has yet another gem to add to his repertoire. His Knights of the Round Table is up next summer and we’re eager.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Friday, August 14, 2015.