The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (DVD REVIEW)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
DVD
Review
by Kam Williams
Adaptation
of Sixties Spy Series Arrives on DVD
The Man
from U.N.C.L.E. was a popular television series which enjoyed a
four-year run on NBC from 1964 to1968. Ostensibly trading on the
phenomenal success of the James Bond film franchise, the show
revolved around another dashing character created by Ian Fleming,
author of the 007 novels.
This big
screen adaptation stars Henry Cavill in the title role as Napoleon
Solo, a suave, sophisticated spy employed by U.N.C.L.E. (United
Network Command for Law and Enforcement), a top secret, international
espionage agency. While the TV Solo was a college grad and
honorably-discharged Korean War veteran, this Napoleon is a convicted
art thief who reluctantly agrees to work for the CIA in return for a
reduced prison sentence.
The picture
was directed by Madonna's ex-hubby Guy Ritchie who is better-known
for over the top action adventures like Snatch (2000) and Lock, Stock
and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) than the relatively-tame fare he
serves up here. The movie co-stars Armie Hammer as Solo's sidekick,
KGB agent Ilya Kuryakin. However, where the original Ilya was a
mild-mannered sleuth, this time around he's a hot head inclined to
lose his temper at the drop of a hat.
This
origins tale unfolds in East Berlin in 1963, which is where we find
Solo and Kuryakin initially squaring off as adversaries. The former
has been dispatched behind the Iron Curtain to recruit Gaby Teller
(Alicia Vikander), the daughter of a missing nuclear scientist feared
fallen into the clutches of a crime syndicate
seeking to acquire the bomb. Only after Ilya fails to foil the
extraction is he introduced to Napoleon as his new partner.
Soon, with
Gaby in tow, they're embroiled in a race against time to foil a plot
hatched by Victoria Vinciguerra
(Elizabeth Debicki), the brains behind the Italian terrorist
operation suspected of kidnapping Gaby's father. Unfortunately, the
deliberately-paced cat-and-mouse
caper which ensues is too low-key to generate much in the way of
edge-of-the-seat tension. In this regard, the picture pales in
comparison to Kingsman, another nostalgic homage to Sixties spy
flicks.
In
sum, a passable, nostalgic period piece which does a far better job
of recreating Cold War ambience than intrigue.
Good (2
stars)
Rated
PG-13 for violence, suggestive material and partial nudity
In English, German, Russian and
Italian with subtitles
Running time:116 minutes
To see a trailer for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K4Iv_N9Nno
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