Wednesday 7 October 2015

REVIEW : The Man from Uncle


THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E

Synopsis : Action, Adventure Comedy set 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. 

Would we consider The Man from UNCLE to be good cinema? I just want to throw that one out there because I think if you would consider this film to be good cinema then the chances are that you are going to enjoy this film in some way. 

The Man from UNCLE was a popular TV series which has now been made into a film. Like "The Avengers," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." borrows from James Bond stories. The good guys, suave U.S. operative Napoleon Solo and sexy Russian Illya Kuryakin, work for U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) and battle evil international syndicate THRUSH.

I felt it had good atmospheric set up in terms of setting the scene that we when we are, it's important to get that part right because once you got that set up, your main concentration is on the actual content of the plot itself. I didn't mind this film so much, I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. It's certainly one of Guy Ritchie's better films. Guy Ritchie is a good director but he's gone down hill a bit and Man from UNCLE probably is attempt to pick himself up. 

Action, Spy thrillers tend to engage my interests anyway I always keep a look out for some spy film or tv series and if I see something new that's out I'm more than likely going to say 'yes' to it. I watched this in an empty cinema on a Sunday afternoon in August, it was a cold and rainy day as you get in Britain. I remember watching it and thinking it was good, but it wasn't what I was drawn into seeing. I don't know if that was my fault necessarily in expecting too much from due to the major hype this film got in the publicity or whether or not I felt that I was indecisive due to not knowing what I was meant to be expecting from it. 

It certainly has that sleekness to it, a good strand of care in continuity and keeping the pace going thats the thing I felt this did the best out of everything else. I think what Ritchie was trying to do was recapture an element of that spark the original series had that got everyone excited in the first place. It has a stellar cast of classy actors who have that sort of spy-ish look about them. It's partly there and also has something new and original to it. 

Its all about whether or not you spot a gap in the market for it and whether its a matter of judgement of are an audience ready for this sort of thing? Who knows. 

It's a 6/10 for me.