Anyone happen to remember The Man From UNCLE? Released in 2015?
With Guy Ritchie directing and a stylish cast, The Man From UNCLE seemed set up for success and franchise potential, but sputtered at the box office. In retrospect, its Cold War Spy Film genre was past its prime and even if there was demand for a sequel it would most certainly have to be recast from the top. The two male leads aren’t bankable commodities in Hollywood anymore, with the careers of Henry Cavill (CIA Agent) stalling and Armie Hammer (KGB Agent) ended by Me Too scandals. And the careers of the two female leads have since flatlined.
Nevertheless, The Man From UNCLE features the best of a Guy Ritchie film, firing along at a relentless pace, its tension balanced with levity, and making the most of its 1960s time and setting – ominous Berlin, dazzling Rome. Recently rewatching, I found this film even more watchable (and holding up well) than when first seeing it in theaters a decade ago.
It looks like I’m not alone – in googling around, I found a number of retrospectives citing The Man From Uncle as one of the more underrated/underappreciated flicks of the 2010.
