The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

I rooted for this film long before the private screening, cheered it for the stylish retro opening and was sympathising with Ritchie's visual imagery and breezy detachment even half an hour or so before the final credits rolled. But what up until then was a harmless play with various genre elements, where the diverse nature of the plot was still held together by the stylish form, the measured performances and the crushing pace, unfortunately transformed into a stale pictorial feast, which didn’t lack humour and plot drive, but all those disparate ingredients were now creaking and forming a standard hyper-stylish spy mess that doesn't offend and entertains at first, but in retrospect is dominated by a chaos with only a dim glimmer of genuinely funny lines or novel story motifs. 70% (20/11/2015)

Technically, of course, appropriately polished with an entertaining central duo, but otherwise this popcorn flick, like most Ritchie's films, has nothing extra. Surprisingly, the female cast is rubbish both in looks (!) and acting. The retro style may have worked brilliantly in X Men First Class, but here it doesn’t fall on fertile ground with the same elegance and wit. (23/08/2015)

A movie that is pleasant to watch, but you don’t care what’s going on in it. Attractive and stylishly dressed actors who have nothing to do and a likeable retro audiovisual aspect. There’s always something going on, but the runtime feels longer than it actually is. The catchphrases and building of the dynamics of most scenes need more work on the screenwriters’ part. The comic book-like beginning of the final action scene is fantastically bolstered by the music used. A strong three stars. (11/08/2015)

So in this year of spies (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Kingsman, Spy and I have no doubt about the quality of Spectre), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is unfortunately the weakest link. The film has a solid retro look, with beautiful fashion (hats, big glasses, admirable dresses and suits), gallantry and elegance at every turn, not to mention the cars. Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer are OK, but not dazzling, but Alicia Vikander has a decent shot at being the new Hollywood power star, last year that name meant nothing to me, and this year she has dazzled in Ex Machina, Seventh Son and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a positive calling card for this up-and-coming lady who strongly resembles Audrey Hepburn. What’s disappoints, however, is the action, which is underwhelming and not very satisfying. There is little action and it mostly consists only of car chases (there is one fight and two shootouts) – at least the finale is beautifully set in the mountains with a cross country and an off-road Jeep. However, it lacks a moment that made me want to watch the film again, which is a bummer when I've seen other spy films at least twice. Entertaining yes, but not riveting or spectacular. 75% (22/08/2015)

A stylish retro spy spectacle that thankfully doesn't parody the genre. But it takes it in stride and it's good at it. The central trio is very likable (Armie Hammer fits the role of the Soviet fighter perfectly and the cute Alicia Vikander is not just cute and certainly not just some cheap ornament) and her constant jibing is pleasant... And Hugh Grant proves once again that aging doesn't rob a person of a shred of charm, id you don’t let it. Guy Ritchie's direction has swing and lots of ideas, offers a number of rewarding scenes full of humor (including the black one, see the chair) and suspense, and I must especially highlight the amazing soundtrack. The instrumental one by Daniel Pemberton, which therefore pays tribute to John Barry rather than Ennio Morriccone, and the well chosen songs. I'm very satisfied. (12/08/2015)