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

Aka: Cliche 60s American and Cliche Russian Team Up

Does anyone find it ironic that this film has an English actor playing an American and an American actor playing a Russian? I guess Guy Ritchie knew the irony behind this casting, and well it works perfectly well.

The Plot

After suave American Agent, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill), rescues Gabby Teller (Alicia Vikander), a mechanic and daughter of a Nazi Scientist, from Communist East Berlin, he winds up being partnered with a Russian Agent, Ilya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), to stop Nazi Radicals from forcing Gabby's father into creating an Atom Bomb. Their only lead is Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki), a Nazi sympathizer who is connected to Gabby's family. As tensions between America and Russia escalate, can Solo and Ilya put aside their differences to accomplish the mission and possibly save the world? 

Review

Guy Ritchie may not necessarily be one of my favorite directors, but he is definitely someone I always give a chance. He won me over with his two breakout films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, but although I found his later films entertaining, mainly the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes series, he hasn't exactly solidified himself as someone who I need to watch immediately. And unfortunately for him, this film still gives me that feeling. However, fortunately for him, this film also maintains my stance of always giving him a chance.

Based on a classic 60s TV Show, Man from UNCLE is the very definition of an old fashion spy movie. Kingsman may have been a love letter and throwback to old spy films, but this one IS an old spy film. Which works well for it as well as against it. What definitely works for it is keeping the film in the 60s setting. The time was perfect as the backdrop for spy movies as you have America and Russia waiting to go to war with each other at any given moment. It also helps that the fashion is that midpoint between the suave sophistication of the 40s along with the sexiness that will over take the 70s. It just sells you with classic spy imagery, and it helps that Cavill and Hammer are playing stereotypes that fit in this setting.

Cavill has been on Hollywood's radar for YEARS and finally gets his chance to shine in the spotlight as Superman. Unfortunately his dour performance made people question why was everyone so impressed by this guy? Luckily here, Cavill exudes the charm and suave of Napoleon Solo extremely well, showing audiences why this guy was sought after for several high profile roles in the past before his big break. He shows he could be charismatic and lively, which will definitely help him in the long run, but it won't be enough to turn naysayers around to his side. Still, his cliche 60s American accent works really well for his character, especially given he is actually English...or Welsh...or...something not American. The one who is American though is Hammer, who also plays a cliche role in the film: the brutish Russian Spy. His turn as Ilya is not exactly ground breaking, as many people were already convinced this guy can act from the Social Network. However his cliche performance works hand in hand with Cavill's cliche performance as two stereotypes having to team up to fight a common enemy. At least no one can complain about casting problems, because they're both ironically casted.

But despite ironies in casting, the word cliche will come up a lot because in the end, this movie is definitely a cliche. Everything about it is a cliche because it is a cliche 60s spy movie that feels like it came out decades too late. Smart audiences in tune with how spy movies work will know how Vikander's Gabby and Debicki's villainous Victoria will operate before it happens in the story. There are no new twists to the genre, nor can there be because spy movies have done everything, and it doesn't try to claim it has one. This is probably the most pure 60s spy movie we'll ever get, and that is completely fine for me. But it does say something if the most exciting part of the film is the first half when the two agents meet for the first time and how they have to eventually work together. The second half is where things start heading to predictability and the fun feels forced rather than natural as it did in the first half. Nevertheless, the film still feels entertaining and engaging enough to keep you through. And it also doesn't hurt that all the leads in this movie are ridiculously sexy. Eye candy for ladies and gentlemen. 

Final Thoughts

In the Year of the Spy movie, this may so far be the weakest entry. It may not be the worst, as the year isn't over yet, but it definitely won't be the best. But what it is the best at is bringing back the old 60s spy movie flavor. However it may have done so a little too literally. There are some modern filmmaking techniques and Guy Ritchie-isms in the film, but overall it still feels like a movie that came out decades too late. The cast is magnificent, particularly Cavill and Hammer, but their characters are exactly as you think they're going to be all the way up to the end. No real surprises, but still a great time.

SCORE: 7/10 - A decent time for a film that feels like its from a different time

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Review

It's official everyone...

Tom Cruise is completely insane... AND I FREAKING LOVE IT!

The Plot

After amassing a record of "wanton acts of mayhem" over the years, CIA Director Hunley motions for the dissolving of the Impossible Missions Force and have their assets absorbed into the CIA. As IMF Analyst, Brandt (Jeremy Renner), tries to stop Hunley, IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds himself targeted by a shadowy organization called The Syndicate, led by the even more mysterious Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). To prove that the IMF is still a viable force for good, Ethan makes it his mission to prove the existence of The Sydnicate while being the number one rogue fugitive on the CIA's list. He'll need help from Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt, Luther (Ving Rhames) and the mysterious Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in the ultimate cat and mouse game against an enemy that has been secretly causing them trouble for years.

Review

Once the now infamous "Tom Cruise is strapped to the side of a plane" scene takes off at the very BEGINNING of the movie... I suddenly had no idea what I was in for. Usually a scene like that would've taken place in the middle or at the end of the movie. But no, the infamous scene is what starts this movie off with a bang. It is a shot of adrenaline that prepares the audience for the insane ride that will follow. And if you believe nothing in this film can top that opening scene, then you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I have to give a lot of credit to director and writer Christopher McQuarrie. Mainly because for the first time, I believe he's the director who completely nailed what this franchise is suppose to be. Him and his co-writer, Drew Pearce, took all the best parts from the Mission franchise along with an examination of how summer blockbusters are suppose to operate and doesn't try to reinvent the formula but resuscitates it into something that can truly breathe. The concept of having the big money shot at the beginning of the movie was done to ensure that audiences will no longer be waiting for it to happen, but instead be focused on the movie and its story. It is a brilliant move that just elevates this film above its predecessors and its peers.

But one thing that definitely makes this movie stand above its peers is the utilization of the action within the story. Usually action happens for the sake of action. But good action is used to accelerate the plot. And in this film, every single action scene was warranted for the sake of progressing the plot further as well as developing character motivations. All of them, from Hunt's first fight with the Syndicate to the Opera House battle to the underwater scene that escalates to a car chase that then escalates into a motorcycle chase all keep building momentum towards the finale which has surprisingly not been spoiled in any of the trailers or commercials. Which makes the third act of the film even more impactful in that everything that has been used to promote the film has been from the beginning and middle, but never the end.

Tom Cruise proves that he is still in peak physical condition at 50, and is probably THE action star of this current generation. His charisma and dedication to this franchise continues to shine with incredible results. And thankfully his team behind the camera has finally found out who Ethan Hunt is suppose to be. He is not James Bond, which they tried to make him like in the second film, but a team leader who prioritizes the safety of his team first over himself. That combined with making him someone who can get hurt is what makes him such a compelling character. And thankfully he is surrounded by equally compelling teammates, with one literally outshining him.

Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames return as Benji, Brandt and Luther: Hunt's loyal friends. What truly makes them standout is how they're all utilized in the story at the most appropriate times. Pegg's Benji may have the most screen time of the three, and the most comic relief, but Pegg continues to prove that he is more than just a comedy actor. He is well rounded and looks right at home standing side by side with the likes of action men such as Cruise, Renner and Rhames. Speaking of the latter two, both of them are more utilized in a subplot that doesn't collide with the main plot of the movie till the third act, but Renner and Rhames were still utilized efficiently for the story. However, there is one person who is not a returning veteran, but a newcomer into the franchise.

Rebecca Ferguson will soon be the talk of the town, as her performance as Syndicate Agent (or is she?) Ilsa Faust is the biggest standout of the film. I always get irked by women who get cast as Bond Girls in James Bond films claiming they're "not your typical Bond Girl," then wind up being the typical Bond Girl with a little more to do. Thankfully in the Mission: Impossible franchise, there is no "Mission Impossible Girl." But if there had to be one to define that term, it would be Ferguson's Ilsa. She is probably the most well written ambiguous female spy character in a Hollywood blockbuster film while being extremely sexy and extremely efficient. What makes her so incredible is that you could easily take out Ethan Hunt and all the Mission Impossible characters, and still have an incredible spy film with her as the lead. She is so good that I hope she breaks the norm of female agents in previous Mission films never returning in the next one, because I want more of this incredible villainous/heroic (?) character.

But what about The Syndicate? The "Rogue Nation" of the title? What about their mysterious leader, Solomon Lane played by Sean Harris? Well, to put it simply, they are the best antagonists for the franchise so far. In fact, I believe them to be better than SPECTRE in the old Sean Connery Bond films. They are essentially a reboot of the IMF's original nemesis from the TV show (yes if you didn't know, Mission: Impossible is based on an old TV Show), and they are rebooted in the best possible way. Here, they are actually a legitimate threat as a completely evil incarnation of the IMF. Credit definitely has to go to Harris for his portrayal of Solomon Lane, who is believably more cunning and frightening than any villain in the Mission: Impossible franchise. The only downside I can come up with for him, as well as the whole movie, was wishing Lane was in the movie more, but again the amount of time he was present was utilized perfectly.

Final Thoughts

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really loved this movie. LOVE IT! And the more I think about it, the more I like it. And if you happen to be a fan of the original 60s TV Show, and have gotten bitter because the movies are nothing like the show, then this is the movie you've been waiting for because it finally has the elements of the TV show the original fans loved. Mainly the mind game aspect that is the real conflict between Hunt and Lane. There are callbacks to previous films as well as a complete reinvigoration of what a blockbuster should be. I'm hoping for the success of this movie, because it proves that you don't need Superheroes to make a good blockbuster anymore. Furious 7, Mad Max Fury Road and Jurassic World proved that. But this film proves it even more.

SCORE: 9.5/10 - The best Summer Blockbuster of the "Year of the Spy" so far

SPY (2015) - Movie Review

The Second Blockbuster Spy movie of 2015

It definitely is the YEAR OF THE SPY!

The Plot

When the CIA's top agent, Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is killed by an arms dealer heiress, Rayna (Rose Byrne), who not only has possession of a nuclear bomb but the identities of every field agent in the CIA. The only option is to send in Fine's handler, Susan (Melissa McCarthy), to get close to Rayna and discover the location of the Nuke before it falls into the wrong hands. Believing that a desk agent is unfit to fulfill the mission, field agent Ford (Jason Statham) goes rogue in an attempt to complete the mission and prove Susan is not meant for the field. But there is more to this special agent than initially perceived.

Review

Paul Feig is probably the only director who knows how to craft a proper Melissa McCarthy vehicle. Because while McCarthy has made a name for herself in Feig's breakout film, Bridesmaids, and his follow up, The Heat co-starring Sandra Bullock, she has not made a great Hollywood film that isn't directed by Feig. Which is a shame because Identity Thief and Tammy threatened to cause the public to get tired of her "schtick." But luckily this film, and perhaps a small little indie film called St. Vincent, allows the audience to realize she's not a one note character.

McCarthy shines in this movie in a role that is completely different to what she's done in her previous big Hollywood films, while at the same time still maintaining the humor that she is known for. Here she plays Susan Cooper, a CIA Analyst who is desk bound and is merely the voice in Agent Fine's ear, guiding him on where he needs to go and warning him of impending danger. Fascinatingly enough, she actually joined the CIA to be a field agent but was talked into taking the desk job. This small bit of information makes her character a completely different animal to most Spy Parody movies. Meaning she is actually a competent agent. She's not a bumbling bafoon who gets lucky, she's actually capable of doing the job. But having a lack of experience does show she has a weak stomach for violence, and there is plenty. But what really makes doing her job difficult, and hilarious, is Statham's rogue Agent Ford.

Statham is definitely the true standout of this movie as he is pretty much playing a complete parody of himself. Statham's Ford is pretty much an over confident and condescending take on every character Statham has ever played in an action movie, spun to sound like his profile of being the perfect spy. His long speeches of how he is capable of doing anything, and I mean anything, because he is such a badass will definitely bring laughs to an audience who recognizes that he's pretty much attacking his action hero image in the most hilarious way possible. It is quite refreshing seeing the more capable agent being the bumbling fool this time around instead of the protagonist. This offers a completely fresh take on the spy parody as it makes us like McCarthy's Agent Cooper rather than wishing the movie was about Statham's Agent Ford. I'm looking at you Get Smart.

But while McCarthy and Statham are definitely the heavy hitters of the movie, they would be nothing without their supporting cast of agents and terrorists. Miranda Hart plays Nancy, the voice in Agent Cooper's ear and her best friend prior to becoming a field agent. She offers great support to McCarthy's Cooper, however it feels like she's barely in the film despite being sprinkled carefully throughout it. Peter Serafinowicz, most famously known as the voice of Darth Maul and Denarian Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy, plays Agent Aldo, Cooper's Italian contact who provides some of the best laughs in the film due to his constant need of physical contact with Cooper. Then there's Agent Cooper's nemesis, Rayna played by Rose Byrne, another actress who has skyrocketed in the comedy circuit thanks to Bridesmaids. Here Byrne plays the very definition of a Spoiled Bitch, which works great as both a satire on the rich and powerful as well as the stereotypical Bond villains. Bobby Cannavale also makes an appearance as a possible buyer for the Nuke, but that's all you really need to know.

What is probably the most shocking aspect about this film is how violent and action oriented it is. Now, this is nowhere near as violent as the first blockbuster spy film of the year, Kingsman, but while that movie was awesomely violent, this film is shockingly violent. This is mainly because the film is sold mostly as a comedy rather than an action film, which will catch people completely off guard when blood and gore enter the picture. Though I can't help but feeling this is director Feig's way of saying, "Hey! I can do other stuff besides comedy," and it shows brilliantly. The fights and action sequences in the film are well choreographed without falling too far into the trap of being parodies of Spy Movie action. They feel just right and not too over the top, making it very believable for McCarthy's Cooper to be a capable fighter in the film.

Final Thoughts

This is definitely the best film Melissa McCarthy has starred in so far. It is both funny and a smart way of subverting not just the spy genre but the spy spoof genre as well by not falling into familiar territory too much. Though it still is just as predictable as Kingsman, both films benefit by feeling fresh enough to make one forget just how worn out and predictable the spy genre is. With an all-star cast and a great use of humor at times that merit it, Spy is living proof that McCarthy can still make us laugh and that Paul Feig is the right person to helm the all female Ghostbusters reboot.

SCORE: 8/10 - A well executed subversion of the spy spoof genre, despite being cliche

2015 - The Year of the Spy

It's not the "Age of Ultron," it's the "AGE OF SPIES"

Did anyone notice this? No? Yes? Well I did. And for me. I think this is great! I'm sure there have been other years were a large number of spy movies have come out within the same time frame or year. But this one stands out because not since the days the Connery Bonds did Hollywood pump out this many big budget Spy Movies. Especially during an era that is dominated by Marvel Superheroes.

There is just something refreshing of having the Spy movie get a new resurgence in the public eye. And it feels highly appropriate that the first two films to kick off the Spy year are two spy comedies. The first one being more of a love letter to the classic spy genre and the other being a straight up comedy in a spy setting. And both of them are original films too. Well... Kingsman is based on a comic, but it wasn't an existing IP in film. This may be a strange way of setting things off, but it is definitely the smart move. Especially for the brilliant Kingsman, which is appropriately the first film of the era, as the film that it is both parodying and tributing is the last spy film to premier this year. And apparently Melissa McCarthy's re-team up with future Ghostbusters director, Paul Feig, is a good time, and is more about a fish out of water trying to play with the big leagues. A nice counter balance to all these seasoned veterans.

It is also interesting that this is the year that James Bond and the Impossible Missions Force are both in the mix. Not only that, with the revelation of Mission: Impossible's title, they both deal with their respective franchise villains returning. Yes, after a rights dispute, Daniel Craig's Bond gets to face off the very definition of Evil Organization in film: SPECTRE. While on the Cruise Train, the Impossible Missions Force gets to face off against their old rivals from Season Five of the original 60s-70s TV show. Yes, if you didn't know, Mission: Impossible is a loose continuation of a 60s TV show. And in the Fifth Season of that show, they went up against a rival organization called The Syndicate. However, they were nowhere near as close to SPECTRE in the evil organization department. But if the title Rogue Nation is any indicator (and a better name than Syndicate) of what they plan to do with The Syndicate, then they'll definitely be evolving as a competitor with SPECTRE for world domination.

But not to let the subject of 60s and 70s era TV shows go away, there is also Guy Ritchie's remake of The Man from UNCLE. Henry Cavill, an English actor, is playing American CIA Agent Napoleon Solo, while Armie Hammer, an American actor, is playing Russian KGB Agent Ilya Kuryakin. Yeah...Hollywood casting logic. But I think there is a lot of irony here, as Cavill always wanted to play James Bond but winds up playing an American spy who is created by Ian Fleming, the author of the 007 novels. Director Guy Ritchie also chose to keep the 60s Cold War setting intact, instead of trying to modernize it. This gives it a nice throwback feel that is more akin to Kingsman, which was a throwback in sense of style but not setting. Time will tell if this obvious franchise starter can indeed hold an audience. Judging by Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films, it is possible. But that may be because of RDJ, than for his directing.

What is shaky ground however, is Hitman: AGENT 47. While not a straight up spy movie, it definitely has spy elements ranging from crazy missions, crazy gadgets, to incredibly hot barely dressed women. But being a video game adaptation, and a second attempt at that, there is that lingering curse that video game movies are just pure shit. However this film appears to be taking a cue from Hitman: Absolution, which is a game that made Stealth an option, but if one wanted to go gun ho they could. Plus, it feels like it isn't taking itself as seriously as the previous outing with Timothy Olyphant, so there may be a chance it can be a lot more fun to watch. And it's always cool to see Zachary Quinto try something out of his comfort zone: an action movie.

In closing, this is pretty much looking like a great year for spy movies. I think the only thing that's missing from this list is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But it already came out last year so... that's a shame.