Given the plethora of technical bells and whistles in Guy Richie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (the extra punctuation is as wearying as much of this film so I will only reference the title once) the onus is on Richie to provide sufficient plot and character. He almost makes it on the character front but if you’re looking for a fresh plot, keep looking.
Oh, there’s razzle-dazzle style galore, and interesting costume and set design replicating the 60’s vibe. Richie throws in split screen, slow motion and loads of other special effects contrivance willy-nilly. The result may not be in the inane category of his Swept Away remake (2002) but neither does it achieve the bite of the refreshing Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1999) or Snatch (2001). There’s a sprinkling of panache here, unfortunately doubled by groan-eliciting scenes. Henry Cavil has flair as Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn in the original TV series ((1964-68)) if you’re old enough to remember it). Armie Hammer doesn’t come close to the wonderful David McCallum as Ilya Kuryakin. Hammer may have succeeded in portraying the Winklevoss twins in Social Network but in this film he’s mostly slumming his way through with character tics on endless repeat. Hugh Grant as Waverly won’t make you forget
Leo G. Carroll in the role.
Did you like Ex-Machina? Me, too, and a good part of its allure was the performance of Alicia Vikander as the robot. Here she’s a marginal cut above just another actress. It doesn’t help that her character is as much a cartoon as most of the other supporting characters. I know deadpan silliness is part of the game with this film but far too many scenes border on being stilted, which is quite another matter. I chuckled several times throughout but an action comedy also needs good action. If thrills in action scenes are important, this film comes up as short as Mickey Rooney.
I know it may sound like I’m always pushing independent art movies and I’m ready to say save your money here and catch Amy or The End of the Tour. That may be true, but if you haven’t seen Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation or
Spy, both far superior espionage efforts, you need to catch up before indulging Richie with your time. He may have graduated from his Madonna-era slump but he’s still a mere talented but flawed undergraduate when it comes to directing.