Had fun with this. The leads are all great (even Armie Hammer to my surprise) and I quite enjoyed the tone of it, not too serious but not too silly.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is directed with characteristic flair and muscularity by Guy Ritchie, but he just cannot bring the film to life. It is a big-budget cinematic adaptation of the cult 1960s television series, and the story turns on the reluctant partnership of Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill), an American secret agent with a criminal past, and his ferocious Soviet counterpart, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer). With the assistance of a fetching East German defector (Alicia Vikander), they place their rivalry aside to pursue a fascist criminal ring developing a nuclear weapon.

Ritchie leaves almost no retro-stylistic stone unturned. A sixties pop or soul cut is almost always playing. Chases and fights are presented via busy split-screen montages. Subtitles now and then escape their usual home—at the bottom of the screen—to instead splashily fill the frame and slowly fade away. The fashion (the vividly colored minis, the well-tailored suits) is chic, and so are most of the locations, including an Italian speedway and Rome's Spanish Steps, where Audrey Hepburn enjoyed an ice cream in Roman Holiday.

Yes, this film is largely made right (it sounds right, the images are right), yet it often does not amuse and electrify as intended. A lethargic and mediocre storyline is one major problem. Chiseled spies in sexy suits still need an interesting case to investigate and/or a colorful, menacing antagonist to vanquish. Ritchie himself seems bored by the underground-arms-race plot underlying his parade of set pieces and styles, and twists and turns are often unveiled with a shrug. There is also an atonal, extremely uncomfortable tangent at one point evoking Josef Mengele and the most ghoulish of Nazi war crimes.

The male leads—both recognizable, but relatively untested actors the industry clearly hopes can become Cruise- or Pitt-caliber stars—are photogenic and game, but slightly hamstrung by the accents they have to maintain (Cavill feigns a generic "American" while Hammer goes full mouthful-of-borscht), and their chemistry never ignites in any memorable way despite a few acerbic, well-delivered barbs. Hugh Grant is unfortunately squandered as a British-intelligence veteran who swoops in to fill expository gaps in the third act. Grant is a bright enough talent to infuse even the most banal line with a certain whimsical sophistication, but there is no escaping the undernourished role and his minimal screen time. Best in show then is Vikander, bringing a tough-yet-soulful quality to a character alternating between proactive player and love-interest-in-distress.

C+

A few more stray observations:

1. In my opinion, the opening chase to and over the Berlin Wall is the best action sequence in the movie. Way cooler than the third-act car/four-wheeler chase, which is a bit of an interminable blur of mud and metal.

2. I was disappointed almost nothing came of Napoleon going undercover as a high-end, Thomas Crown-style art thief.

3. Napoleon enjoying wine and a sandwich while Kuryakin is being chased and shot at on the boat is an ingenious comic moment. The idea is diminished, though, when they quasi-recycle it later with the burning Nazi in the electric chair.

I had fun, but the film's tonal shifts between comedy and totally serious spy movie are jarring.

The film was exactly what I wanted it to be so I had a blast. Everyone does a great job and Cavill's comedic timing is spot on. The score is also probably the best I've heard so far this year.

Too bad it did so poorly. A caper in Istanbul would have been intersting.

This.

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

Strange film. Set in post-war Europe, it has a great setting and cool atmosphere, but it isn't as slick as it believes it is, and none of the characters are engaging enough to root for. Despite a great audition for James Bond, Henry Cavill is actually playing an American, and the accent is hardly present at all. Armie Hammer, on the other hand, displays a decent enough Russian sound for a Hollywood picture. Alicia Vikander is a beauty. Nice to see Hugh Grant. The villain and plot of this film are perhaps its worst elements - so forgettable. The film is a wasted opportunity, but I had fun with certain scenes, most notably the Berlin Wall/Checkpoint Charlie opening sequence and the speed boat/truck/sandwich scene mid-way through the film. Actually, I enjoyed Cavill in every scene. Ritchie makes every shot rather drab and grey much like his Sherlock Holmes two-some, which adds to the film's lethargic quality.

B-

I thought this was a very fun movie and it's a shame it didn't perform better. I'd love a sequel. Maybe if Batman vs. Superman is huge Henry could use his clout to get one green-lit.

Even if Batman v Superman grosses $1b domestically, no studio will think Henry Cavill has "clout".

Changing this to a C+

This film was pretty to look at, but that's about it. The actors are endearing, but I was never hooked in to their stories or the movies plotline. It was boring and hard to follow. It felt like discount Mission: Impossible.

D

I'm surprised I didn't post my thoughts in here yet. This is an absolutely delightful and fun movie and one I really regret not seeing in theaters. It's incredibly clever and entertaining and the entire cast is great - they couldn't be more charming. Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander have sensational chemistry and Elizabeth Debecki is a great villian. Plus it has impeccable production and costume design. In the past year I've probably found this to be one of the most rewatchable films I saw last year. An underrated gem, and I agree it's a shame we won't see a sequel. A-