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

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is one of those popular 60s spy TV shows that is finally getting a film adaptation, although twenty years after it's most associated show, Mission: Impossible. And like that other series, UNCLE has taken a different turn from it's source material, but this time into the world of comedy. A job that lands in expert hands with director Guy Ritchie.

Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is top spy with the CIA. He is given a routine task of retrieving Gabby Teller (Alicia Vikander) from East Berlin so that the CIA can ascertain information about her former Nazi father who has gone missing with the knowledge of new atomic technology. Hot on his heels however, is Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), the KGB's top killing machine. The day after Solo completes his mission, both he and Kuryakin find out that their respective governments have teamed them up to go after a terrorist organisation headed up by Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki), who plans to use Teller's technological knowledge to build her own nuclear weapon.

Ritchie definitely returns to his roots here. While the film is still an action movie, comedy reins supreme with plenty of laughs, not unlike those you would find in Snatch. But his action movie experience from Sherlock Holmes is definitely a bonus, as the film uses slick stunt driving and excellent fight scenes, that are still laced with comedic moments. My only quibble with these action sequences is that there are certain number of stylised CGI transitions used, especially in the driving scenes that took me out of it slightly.

Henry Cavill is at his most charming and suits this charismatic role perfectly. Napoleon Solo is part spy and part conman (same thing really) and that is a big bonus for his character. Armie Hammer looks like he's having fun playing a more serious character after his romp in The Lone Ranger. It is also refreshing to see Alicia Vikander in a lighter movie after watching her do so many dramatic roles. Hugh Grant has a really fun supporting role.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a much lighter movie than what I had expected, but nevertheless a very good and enjoyable adventure with two fantastic leads. The cool 60s setting didn't hurt the film at all.

The Lone Ranger

When I first heard that they were making a new film version of the 80 year old character, I was a little dismayed and saw it as a cash grab by Jerry Bruckheimer to make a new franchise to replace the diminishing Pirates of the Caribbean. How wrong I was.

This film deals with the creation of the outlaw (Armie Hammer) and his first adventure with Tonto (Johnny Depp) to take down a corrupt railroad tycoon (Tom Wilkinson) and his criminal henchman (William Fichtner), whose scheme is to steal a large amount of silver and retire to San Francisco.

This movie is actually a lot of fun. All of the elements that go in to make a Lone Ranger adventure are there, including the William Tell Overture, Tonto's broken English and lots of action.

This is the first time I've enjoyed Johnny Depp in a film for a long time. Jack Sparrow began to wear on me after a while and no one can play Willy Wonka like Gene Wilder. But in this, his eccentricities went a long way and in fact I sensed a little Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He brings a levity to a film that has a very bleak premise in an unforgiving land.

Of course, I can't talk about a Lone Ranger film without talking about the man that played him. Armie Hammer (who we know from The Social Network) does a great job bringing such a revered character to life. He has a great chemistry with Depp and I feel as though this is the point that his star will rise from, rather than the past films he has worked on.

There is only one problem I found with the film and that is the extreme violence that is juxtaposed with lighthearted and funny moments. I know that this film is marketed to kids, but most westerns are quite bleak and dark at times. It doesn't really take away from the film, but it does make it a bit of a roller-coaster to watch.

Verdict: A genuinely good effort at reinvigorating a story that has been part of the public consciousness for almost 100 years.