The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

* ½ out of ****

I have mentioned on this blog before about going into a movie that you had low expectations for, and then being swept away by a wonderfully surprising and enjoyable film. Well, there's a flipside to that coin; when you go in with low expectations and are disappointed to find the film is even worse than you thought it was going to be....

It's 1963 and the cold war is raging. CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is in East Berlin to rescue Gaby (Alicia Vikander), who he believes the Soviets are on their way to kill. Admittedly, this early sequence is the very best thing in the film, as Solo and Gaby race through East Berlin trying to reach the wall and escape before being captured. Pursuing them is Illya (Armie Hammer), a KGB agent who is tenacious and acrobatic, and very difficult to shake. This is a very exciting and extremely well sequenced chase scene.

Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there. Gaby's father has been missing since the end of the war, and it turns out he has been developing a nuclear bomb for a criminal organization of Nazi sympathizers. Solo and Illya team up (at the order of their respective organizations) to prevent it the bomb from ever being used. I would explain more of the plot, but I can't.... it's so convoluted and full of gaping holes that it was hard to know exactly what was going on much of the time. All you need to know is that Illya and Solo hate working together and throughout the film engage in countless dick-measuring contests that are supposed to be fun and entertaining, but aren't.

There is one more really good action sequence involving their escape from a facility that they have covertly broken into. It even has a great laugh in it. Sadly, this is the only thing in the last ¾ of the movie I found worth watching.

The biggest hindrance I had with the film was Hammer's portrayal of the KGB agent. His Russian accent was just awful, and to call his performance wooden would be insulting to wood. I really enjoyed him in “The Social Network” (2010) as the Winkelvoss twins, but since then I have hated pretty much everything he's done. Cavill is slightly better, but he spends the entire film trying to act like a Roger Moore James Bond, leering at everyone and trying to make the whole thing an innuendo-laden joke.

Then there's Alicia Vikander. This is an actress that may end up being underappreciated due to her great beauty, but she's a star. This is only the second film I've seen with her (the other being the fascinating “Ex Machina” 2015) but she has been endlessly impressive in both. Can't wait to see more of her.

Overall, I would call this film a time-waster.... if you have absolutely nothing better to do, give it a shot. The film is very well produced and visually interesting, but the male leads and the plotline are pretty empty. My recommendation is to skip it altogether. I know I won't ever watch it again.