By Wal Reid 3/5
Well, you know when a movie has a ‘buzz’ created before it comes out, creating with it an air of mystery prodding the viewer: ‘Does this film have balls? (In not so many words) and of course, ‘could director Guy Ritchie pull off a hit film based on the almost forgotten 60s hit television show?’
God forbid Hollywood would keep rehashing these old TV shows that pull on the sentimentality strings. Yeah it works, but I say that with caution. ‘Uncle’ isn’t a bad movie, it just isn’t a great one. It’s a really good watch and ticks the ‘I’ve been entertained’ box nicely but left me wanting, a bit like eating at McDonalds thinking you were getting a 10 course degustation menu
I mean it looks cinematically fantastic it’s stylish as hell. I tried to get into it, however some offline work in the scissor department wouldn’t have gone amiss to trim this behemoth down. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. centers on U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement agents Napoleon Solo (Superman’s Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) who get together first as enemies before finding out they have to partner up to save a girl, beat a baddie and save the world, it’s pretty good work if you can get it, especially back then
Things I did like were the style of the film, the 60s panache in the dress of the day and the sets genuinely had you believing this was post Khrushchev 1960s of the Cold War. Henry Cavill shows us there’s more to him than his physique (he does droll pretty good) his chemistry with Hammer and Vikander (Gaby Teller) who plays the daughter of a vanished German scientist is a credible match up, while Hammer’s makeshift Rusky accent is passable
This is a movie only ‘tough guy’ film maker Guy Ritchie could make, I say that because he doesn’t follow the Hollywood formula to making films so it’s darker and grittier giving the film a more ‘indie’ feel, that’s probably the most redeeming feature to avert a major brothel here, however if you like your action thick as lard and subscribe to the whole ‘prevent a worldwide catastrophe’ type movie then this is your film
Anyone else pick up that Hammer was the Lone Ranger? You did? Ok…As you were then
