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

This review may contain spoilers!

Forget the superhero genre; 2015 is the year of the epic spy films! I would give The Man From U.N.C.L.E an 8.5/10.

This is classic spy thriller at it's best; with some incredibly funny material, fantastic character chemistry and some high stakes action sequences. The plot moved at a really enjoyable pace; this was aided by the revelations of new plot twists that really kept the film feeling fresh. The cinematography had excellent flow, the shots felt snappy and quick or they were grandiose and spectacular. Finally the soundtrack and score for this film has to be one of the greatest that I've heard this year.

Armie Hammer, who played Illya, gives quite a powerful performance as a very intimidating KGB agent; aside from his immediate chemistry with Cavill and Vikander what really sets Hammer's performance apart is the really dark portrayal of Illya's psychology. Alicia Vikander, who played Gaby, is a lead who has some really good development; what sets her character apart is that she feels very natural but is capabale of dropping the big twists and betrayals that we as an audience begin to expect from Cavill and Hammer. Sylvester Groth, who played Uncle Rudi, was enjoyable as this narcissistic character; his big torture scene is one of the most intense in the film and by far one of my personal favourite scenes. Hugh Grant, who played Waverly, is a rather smug performance that you can't help but like; everything from Grant's mouth is a brilliant quip that is exceptionally delivered.

However the best performance in this film came from Henry Cavill, who played Solo. Cavill suited the role of cocky and arrogant spy from the get go, embracing the persona of Solo from the very first strut in his very first scene. From there on out this just snowballed, with Cavill ramping up the performance as the feature moved onwards. He had some great chemistry with Hammer and Vikander but also with Debicki; he knew how his character would interact with others and brought that forward really well. He was a true joy to watch, and an exceptional spy.

The film's editing suffered in several places; my major disappointment was how shots were cut to show multiple shots at once which was quite disorienting. Beyond that the way in which subtitles were used in this film felt gratuitous, it was quite blocky and basic. Finally the special effects more often than not looked quite fake; particularly in chase sequences.

Elizabeth Debicki, who played Victoria, was a rather hollow antagonist; her motive had very little focus beyond "She's a NAZI!!!!" so I think the film really had quite a disappointing antagonist in her. Luca Calvani, who played Alexander, really contributed nothing to the film; he lacked chemistry with Debicki and as such his relationships in the film became kind of hard to understand.