The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) - Film Review

Review:

*Originally written November 18th, 2015*

"Spy Games"

Much like most of Guy Ritchie's filmography, The Man from UNCLE is another fun, yet instantly forgettable exercise in style over substance.

Set in the 60's, 2 agents, one CIA, one KGB, are forced to work together to take down a criminal organization working on making nuclear weapons.

First off, the two leads Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, have really good chemistry here and make for all the film's funnest scenes. The two opposing cultures working together is a concept that has been done to death, but of all the things done in mediocre fashion, this is not one of them.

The biggest problem with The Man from UNCLE is just how plain and vanilla it is. Sure, Guy Ritchie makes a stylish film with some fun action-scenes and set-pieces, but nothing really feels like it has any weight to it. All the characters are just fairly bland cardboard cutouts with nothing interesting to say about them. 

I have literally just finished watching it too, and despite mildly enjoying it, I'm having a hard time thinking of any scenes or elements that really stood out. I guess it's just a shame that UNCLE came out the same year as other spy films that were far more memorable like Kingsman, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Spectre and even Spy.

I just don't think Guy Ritchie is that good of a filmmaker. He seemed to have moved on from his British Tarantino knock-off's to largely forgettable blockbusters like the Sherlock Holmes series. It's a shame that UNCLE wasn't handled by a better director, as the spy buddy-comedy thing set in the 60's could have been a really cool idea if it was executed better.


The Man from is UNCLE is what it is, a very forgettable, but enjoyable spy action comedy that there really is not a lot to say about.

6/10 Dans

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK
Watch the trailer below:

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