The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Review
RYAN: It’s a tri-way review with Chuck and Erik! This is the new action-thriller from director Guy Ritchie and it is by far my favorite of his films. I’ve enjoyed many of his movies but it’s as though all the strengths from his previous movies come together in this one. He really brings together the best of all of his talents and his sensibilities (slick, stylish violence, edgy action, quick banter) and puts them on a great showcase in this movie.
ERIK: I never really loved his style in the Sherlock Holmes movies, but here his style is great, the action is high octane the dialogue is witty. It’s fun whether it’s exciting or just a restful scene between characters. It’s great.
CHUCK: I have to agree with you. I’ve loved Guy Ritchie movies but they’ve always seemed a little on the verge of ADHD. But this one fits perfectly. He reaches new heights as a director with this one.
RYAN: This is such an amazing movie in every aspect – stylistically. From the score, which I was literally tapping my toes to as though it was from a musical, and the costume design which is absolutely deserving of an Oscar nomination, and the production design and the editing, which has moments that make it look like a comic book – all very cool. The pacing, this movie kind of floats by. That’s how quick it goes. I was really into it at every turn.
ERIK: It is such an enjoyable film. I’d say there are three points near the end of the movie where I thought we were done and we were about to wrap up but then I was glad it kept going.
RYAN: Don’t give anything away.
ERIK: I was happy there was more.
RYAN: It’s definitely not too long.
CHUCK: No, which is impressive because it clocks in at just under two hours. The music? Outstanding. The costumes? Ridiculous. To really create not only such a specific look but to create a specific look in a specific locale? Like it wasn’t 1960s America, it was 1960s Italy, and it was just gorgeous. The other thing I loved about it was they shot it with a filter of kodachrome which they actually mentioned in the movie. It has such a distinctive look.
RYAN: Ritchie was clearly influenced by Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick in this film. There were moments that were very Clockwork Orange. There were moments that were reminiscent of Tarantino’s form of suspense. Kubrick sometimes drags and Tarantino’s over the top and alienating sometimes, but I feel like this is the mainstream mash up between those two directors. And that’s why it’s my favorite Guy Ritchie – because it has so much brilliance in every detail. I really can’t criticize this movie.
ERIK: There are so many great scenes of intense action and they cut away for a moment to something completely different and the contrast is so fun; you never feel like you’re missing out on anything.
RYAN: And let’s just jump to the actors. I feel with both Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, first of all, they are two of the most beautiful male specimens alive. Without even having any shirtless scenes, they are drool-worthy throughout the whole film. But I also want to comment that they each have an affected voice. Armie does an outright Russian accent that is flawless; but Henry does this sort of like old American kind of MovieFone voice…
CHUCK: It’s almost like he’s selling cigarettes on TV in 1963. It is a very characterized…
RYAN: But I loved it! I was sort of wanting to hear him talk more. I wanted to hand him some paperwork and say “Can you just read this for me?” In that voice you do in The Man from U.N.C.L.E? because it’s fantastic.
CHUCK: It kind of sounds like the dad from Powerpuff Girls.
ERIK: It sounded very Mad Men with spy twist. I loved the balance between the two characters, like, they both have virtuous qualities and qualities that are not so great. Armie’s character is brutish but honorable. Henry’s charming but a bit conceited and morally ambiguous. And the interplay between them is so great and they make for a very powerful bromance.
RYAN: They do! And I want to be in a sandwich between them. As far as Alicia Vikander…
CHUCK: I was just going to say that Armie Hammer made up for Lone Ranger, thank God.
RYAN: (laughs) Alicia Vikander, who I fell in absolute love with in Ex Machina, does a great job in this movie, too, and reaffirms my appreciation for her as an actress. She’s great with the two of them, she’s good in action. She has a background as a ballerina which lends itself to a toughness and grace. She’s very cool.
ERIK: Her films this year make for a great demo reel- her character in this film is contrasted so greatly with her character in “Ex Machina” where the whole point of her character in “Ex Machina” is to not be human and in this film she’s very charismatic and very lively. And it’s just great.
CHUCK: She absolutely holds her own.
RYAN: Elizabeth Debicki was incredible.
CHUCK: Definitely great examples of strong women in film.
ERIK: This movie doesn’t have the name recognition as some other action films, so I hope this does well because I want to see these characters again. I want sequels!
CHUCK: I know of the television show but I’ve never seen it. it’s not like it’s on regular reruns on a regular basis. This is fantastic and I hope everybody’s on board for the next one.
RYAN: I also never saw the TV show, but if if was anything like this, which I’m sure it’s not, I would want to go back and watch them all. But coming out just weeks after Mission Impossible, which is also good, I like this even more because it has an even quicker pace and it has a freshness. This has a new excitement to it.
