Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Blu-ray Movie Review

The Enemy of My Enemy

Reviewed by Michael Reuben November 13, 2015

"Christ, I miss the cold war!" cursed Judi Dench's M, in a moment of frustration in Casino Royale. Apparently so does Hollywood, because it keeps returning to that conflict for inspiration. The Cold War-era TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., ran for four seasons on NBC from 1964-1968 and featured a wish-fulfilling scenario in which an American agent and his Russian partner cooperated in the pursuit of justice under the umbrella of an international organization. Just as the show was inspired by the James Bond franchise, the agents' usual nemesis was based on Bond's adversary in the early films. Known as "THRUSH", it was a SPECTRE-like organization that spanned the globe and held to no ideology other than its own power and supremacy.

For almost twenty years, producer John Davis struggled to create a big-screen U.N.C.L.E. adaptation, commissioning over a dozen scripts, considering innumerable leads and attaching such major directors as Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh. But it was writer/director Guy Ritchie who finally cracked the puzzle by jettisoning much of the original U.N.C.L.E. story and returning Agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin to their roots, before the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement ever existed. Ritchie's film, which he co-wrote and co-produced with his partner from Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Lionel Wigram, used The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s big-screen debut as an opportunity to provide an "origin story" for Solo, Kuryakin and their partnership in an organization that operates independently of all governments. The result isn't entirely successful, but it's strong enough to start a franchise, assuming someone can come up with a good story for a second film.

"Cowboy" and "Red Peril"

It's 1963, and both the U.S. and the Soviet Union are in hot pursuit of a formula for enriched uranium that could alter the balance of world power. The only known lead to this precious scientific breakthrough is an East Berlin car mechanic named Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander). In the film's opening sequence, which is arguably its best, Gaby becomes the prize fought over by the two top agents of the CIA and KGB, Solo and Kuryakin (Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, neither of them using his real accent). Though outwardly different in style, the dapper Solo and the bulldog Kuryakin share a common rebellious nature. Both came to their agencies from checkered backgrounds, and each has to be routinely reined in, if not overtly threatened, by his respective boss, CIA Chief Sanders (Jared Harris) and KGB Commander Oleg (Misha Kuznetsov).

Having first met in battle, neither Solo nor Kuryakin takes it well when their bosses order them to work together against a common threat. With great difficulty, a temporary (and competitive) detente is imposed on both agents. The enemy is a covert neo-fascist organization headed by an Italian power couple, Victoria and Alexander Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki and Luca Calvani), who are the heirs to a family shipping empire but whose real business is atomic weaponry made with the new formula's enriched uranium and sold to the highest bidder. Gaby provides Solo and Kuryakin with an entree to the Vinciguerras through her Uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth), who works for them. The mission requires elaborate outfitting in the latest fashions and takes the trio initially to Rome and then to the Vinciguerra estate, where racing cars roar, the glitterati gather and chic-ness abounds. One could almost forget that these spies have a mission to accomplish, and indeed there are moments when the movie seems to do just that.

The original Man from U.N.C.L.E. began as a sort of Bond Lite, a spoof of the newly popular Bond film franchise. Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo substituted a smirking attitude for the fancy locations and big stunts that no Sixties TV budget could afford. A succession of guest stars provided sufficient variety to replace the extravagance of the Bond films' sinister villains with their deadly minions. As the seasons progressed, the show's scenarios became progressively more absurd, the dialogue more tongue-in-cheek and the THRUSH plots more far-fetched (a drug to heighten human senses? not exactly world domination material). Ritchie and Wigram have clearly drawn inspiration from the same well of mockery, but they are working on a wider canvas with a more extensive paint box. The parade of Sixties fashions, hairstyles and vintage decor is gorgeous, but after a while one yearns for something more compelling than designer eye candy punctuated by quips and inside references to beloved spy films. Ritchie's U.N.C.L.E. often feels no more substantial than one of the plots from an episode of the TV show, but padded out to twice the running time with extra characters and La Dolce Vita daydreams (only now in color).

Even if you don't know the name "Mr. Waverly" from the original show, you will recognize him as a person of importance when he appears, because he's played by Hugh Grant. Grant may lack the dryness that Leo G. Carroll imparted to the original character, but he has a promising edge. His Waverly provides the bridge to a future franchise that might resemble something like the television show's parody of a covert organization, with its clandestine corridors, wondrous gadgetry and secret entrance located in the dressing room of a nondescript tailor shop. These were essential elements of TV's U.N.C.L.E., and perhaps they will appear in a future film, along with THRUSH or some other improbable villain. (I always liked the businessman named Alexander, whose motive for conquering the world was simply that his name was "Alexander".) In this film, however, the villains get too little screen time, and their scheme doesn't amount to much, because the heroes have to focus on establishing their relationships. Now that we know who they are and they've come to know each other, maybe next time they can entertain us by saving the world instead of arguing constantly. Obviously, they'll still look sharp and retro as they do it.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was photographed by veteran British cinematographer John Mathieson (Gladiator, X-Men: First Class), and it is the first Guy Ritchie film to be shot entirely digitally. According to IMDb, Mathieson used primarily the Arri Alexa Plus, supplemented by several Canon models and a GoPro camera (probably for the chase scenes). Post-production was completed on a 2k digital intermediate, from which Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray was presumably sourced by a direct digital path.

U.N.C.L.E. is a film of visual extremes. The opening in East and West Berlin is dark and the surroundings are typically worn and threadbare. This only serves to intensify the contrast when the action shifts to Rome and the Vinciguerra estate, where the environment is luxurious and the cinematography becomes so bright that at times the image almost seems to have been bleached. Although Ritchie and Wigram cite Fellini's Rome as a visual inspiration, their film is more Peter Max than La Dolce Vita. Bright watercolor shades routinely appear in the frame, whether in clothing, decor, flowers or simply the banners displayed at the Vinciguerra's racetrack. Even the brief snack that Solo pauses to enjoy during a breather from a harrowing chase scene is blessed with appetizingly rich color. The Blu-ray provides this varied palette, while simultaneously maintaining solid blacks—essential for scenes of covert nighttime escapades—and holding whites at the proper level to convey Ritchie's idealized notion of the Italian sun without blowing out detail. (Note that, despite the detailed image, all of the main characters' faces are always attractive, even when cut and bruised; the makeup team must have worked overtime.)

Warner has mastered U.N.C.L.E. with an average bitrate of 25.94 Mbps, and the compression appears to have been carefully performed.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. arrives on Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos (core Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless) soundtrack. This review pertains only to the 7.1 mix. In a scene with traditional action effects, such as the opening contest between Solo and Kuryakin, the mix is wonderfully active and immersive, surrounding the viewer with numerous sonic elements, including screeching tires, gunfire, collisions and various sounds of a foot chase in the street and through buildings. Other action scenes reflect a different approach. One of the more dramatic chases (I don't want to describe it specifically) has no sound effects but merely the Italian ballad, "Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera?" performed by Peppino Gagliardi, which is first heard as source music on a radio but then expands into the entire sound array. The effect best captures the devil-may-care sensibility to which the entire film aspires, and it's the closest Ritchie comes to marrying the cheeky sensibility of his early films with the casual mockery of the original Man from U.N.C.L.E. When the 7.1 track isn't being dominated by one specific effect in this manner, it is almost always doing something interesting with the film's various environments, from a Formula One racetrack to a malfunctioning interrogation chamber.

Dialogue in U.N.C.L.E. is always clear, despite the plethora of accents. The occasional Italian, German or Russian dialogue is translated by yellow subtitles that are variously stylized and placed in different portions of the screen. In addition to singles by such artists as Roberta Flack, Nina Simone and Louis Prima, the soundtrack consists of a jazzy score by Steve Pemberton (Cuban Fury), who has supplied several cues that will no doubt reappear in any future U.N.C.L.E. film.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Spy Vision: Recreating 60's Cool (1080p; 1.78:1; 8:34): Ritchie and Wigram discuss their inspirations; costume designer Joanna Johnston and the cast discuss the wardrobe and locations; and various other crew discuss locations, props and vehicles.



• A Higher Class of Hero (1080p; 1.78:1; 7:13): The challenges of creating action sequences that don't look like any other sequence previously seen.



• Métisse Motorcycles: Proper—and Very British (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:49): A visit with Gerry Lisi, owner of Métisse, maker of the "bespoke" motorcycles used in the film.



• The Guys from U.N.C.L.E. (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:57): Portraits of Cavill and Hammer.



• A Man of Extraordinary Talents (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:16): A portrait of Ritchie.



• U.N.C.L.E.: On-Set Spy (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:16): Each of these short segments presents an interesting moment from production that did not fit into any other featurette. The most interesting is "A Family Thing", which involves a historical coincidence that united the forebears of Guy Ritchie, Hugh Grant and trainee assistant director Rory Gibb. A "play all" function is included.
• Don't Swim Elegantly
• You Want to Wrestle?
• Heli Restored
• A Family Thing

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is pretty to watch and fun while it lasts, but it's also forgettable the minute it ends. It feels like a long preamble to a film that is just getting started when the credits roll—and, indeed, the credits play over an interesting display of dossiers about the future members of the U.N.C.L.E. organization, containing much information not otherwise mentioned in the film. If a terrific sequel follows in a year or two, we may look back at this as a fitting chapter one, but for now it's still a question mark. As a technical matter, the Blu-ray is certainly above reproach.