Trailers are intended to make you want to see the movies they advertise. While they often reveal too much about the plots, they should also represent the tone of the movies so you have an idea what to expect. After seeing the trailer for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (one too many times), I had no desire to see the movie. Now that I have, though, I can report that the trailer did not do a good job of selling the movie.
This is because the best parts of the movie deal with the often comical relationship between competing spies: American Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Russian Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) in the early 1960s. Forced to work together to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by an international crime organization, the two men also have orders to kill each other if necessary.
The trailer emphasizes action and women. It’s not that The Man from U.N.C.L.E. doesn’t have those elements, it’s just that there’s nothing special about them in the movie. More often than not, the action is played for laughs. The best example is a scene where Solo sits in a truck casually enjoying a snack while in the background, Kuryakin is pursued by bad guys in a boat back and forth across the water.
When I say there’s nothing special about the women, I mean their characters. The two main actresses are indeed spectacular. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) plays Gaby Teller, the daughter of the missing German scientist who may be working in league with the villians, and Elizabeth Debicki plays Victoria Vinciguerra, the cold but beautiful brain behind the criminal operation.
As you’d expect from director Guy Ritchie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Lionel Wigram, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is sometimes frenetic; however, it’s more consistently coherent than his previous efforts. (Sherlock Holmes was a hit, but I’ve never been able to sit through it.) Only during the climactic approach to the villain’s lair does he opt for split screen and cutaways to speed up the action.
Overall, it’s too uneven for my taste. Inappropriate violence erupts a couple times, such as the scene in which Kuryakin destroys his hotel room. Yes, it speaks to his character flaws; however, it’s too extreme. And one scene is cruel rather than funny when one of the bad guys becomes a victim of his own torture devices and is fried in an electric chair while the two heroes chat unaware.
As hinted earlier, the entire thing hinges on the leads, Solo and Kuryakin. I’m not convinced there’s enough chemistry between the actors. Both give cold performances, but that’s partly due to the characters. Cavill’s American spy is James Bond, only cockier. He’s got the looks, but I don’t know if he has the charm. And Hammer’s Russian Kuryakin is largely a stereotypical foreigner.
Finally, taking place in the 60’s, the era could almost be a character itself. You don’t notice it in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., though. Either the filmmakers did such a wonderful job that it doesn’t stand out, or they didn’t take advantage of an opportunity to make it stand out. It’s in front of our eyes, the clothes and the cars, but it’s all matter of fact; no effort is made to draw it to our attention.
Based on the TV series that aired between 1965-1968, the movie version has no nostalgia for the original. As far as I can tell, there are no in-jokes, and there are definitely no cameos by the original stars. It’s unique for a big screen remake that it doesn’t rely on such audience manipulation. But is it strong enough to be successful without it? I don’t know; it’s fun at times, but overall, it left me a little cold.
