Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Guy Ritchie (screenplay), Lionel Wigram (screenplay)
Stars: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander
Plot: In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.
Running Time: 1 hour 56 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics 66% Audience 73%
Why I Watched it: I had watched the TV on reruns as a kid, my mother was a big fan, it was a pretty good show so I knew the source materiel, I will say I was worried about Guy Ritchie directing it.
Thoughts: I will say I’m always a little worried when they make a movie out of an older show, The Man From Uncle is from the 60′s a much different time and even though they were doing it in the time period I was afraid they change the characters and try to make it more modern cause let’s be honest the kids don’t know this show. Also being a fan of the show I had a bias watching a new movie with old characters.
What I liked: The first thing is that Guy Ritchie did a good job not turning it into a big loud slick Guy Ritchie movie, it is slick and pretty well directed but he did stay pretty true to the source material.
I liked the look and I liked that it was a period piece, they didn’t try to convert the show to the modern time, the best part for me was Henry Cavill he was not only very slick and cool but I liked his take on the character, he took things in stride, he wasn’t yelling and screaming and he wasn’t trying to macho it up too much, he was a thinking man’s spy and a criminal. He did have chemistry with Armie Hammer, of course this was the beginning of the partnership so of course they had to be at odds. It was also good to see that Alicia Vikander had a somewhat fleshed out character and that she wasn’t just playing the love interest. I also liked Elizabeth Debicki, I liked her look and acting someone to watch for. I did like that Vikander was the love interest for Hammer and not Cavill.
The plot was fine, these kind of movies have to have something to do and the story was decent enough, they had stakes, they had to work together. What I liked most about the film was the tone, this was a tough back film for me, some people call it slight but I liked the slick and fun films where the actors got to have fun, look good and be witty. It was somewhat of a light tone but that’s what the show was, and if the movie nailed anything almost perfect it was the tone and look.
There was a couple of nice bits, one was Hammer and Cavill arguing over women’s fashion and there’s a really cool bit with Cavill being drugged, realising it but also knowing there isn’t anything to do about it so he’s talking and also getting a pillow and a place to lay down so when he falls he won’t hurt himself, very cool.
What I didn’t like: They changed the characters especially Illya Kuryakin, they also changed Solo has well don’t recall him being a thief in the series. If there was a flaw in the film it was casting Hammer he’s fine a decent to good actor but playing a Russian not his strong suit and he did stick out, I think they should have gone more rugged with that character to balance out Solo. The film was also a tad long at almost 2 hours, it did drag a bit and I also wished they would have made this a more stand alone as clearly this was suppose to be set up for another film.
Final Thoughts: I liked it, it was a change of pace for me something lighter and more breezy, it made me smile a few times and overall enjoyed watching it.
Rating: 7/10
