Man from U.N.C.L.E., The (4K UHD Review)

• Reviewed by: Stephen Bjork
• Review Date: Aug 29, 2024
• Format: 4K Ultra HD
• 

Director

Guy Ritchie

Release Date(s)

2015 (July 30, 2024)

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures (Arrow Video)

• Film/Program Grade: A-
• Video Grade: A
• Audio Grade: A
• Extras Grade: A-

Review

Setting aside weighty matters of politics, war, and natural disasters, one of the truly great tragedies of the modern age is that Guy Ritchie’s utterly delightful reboot of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. utterly failed to find an audience or establish a franchise. The world seems like a smaller place without this much-needed brand of escapism—it’s certainly significantly less cool (in more ways than one). Guy Ritchie has been peddling his own idiosyncratic brand of cool ever since his debut feature Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels back in 1998, and he’s refined it even more as his career has progressed. We’re talking about someone who successfully turned Sherlock Holmes into a stylish action hero, after all. If anyone seemed like a natural choice to reimagine the classic Cold War television series for the modern era, it’s Ritchie. Yet he wasn’t the first choice, the second choice, or even the third. Long is the way, and hard, that out of development hell leads up to light.

The original The Man from U.N.C.L.E. series ran from 1964 to 1968, and it managed to turn superspies Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Ilya Kuryakin (David McCallum) into household names. It also spawned one spinoff series and several feature films that were reedited and revised versions of episodes from the main series. It even led to an eventual made-for-television reunion movie in 1983. So it was perhaps inevitable that Hollywood would come a-knocking in its perpetual quest to mine established intellectual properties for potential film franchises, but actually making that happen wasn’t quite so simple. Producer John Davis acquired the rights back in 1993, but it took two full decades before his film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. went before the cameras. In the meantime, it passed through the hands of multiple directors, screenwriters, and potential lead actors before Guy Ritchie finally brought the project to fruition.

Ritchie and his co-screenwriter Lionel Wigram decided to take a step back from the continuity of the television series and to offer a prehistory of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. instead, introducing the main characters to new audiences by showing how they originally came to work together. The film opens in East Berlin, where Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) has been tasked to convince Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) to escape with him to West Berlin (with ulterior motives, naturally). This version of Solo has a somewhat checkered past, first coming to the attention of the U.S. government due to his smuggling activities, which he continues to do on the side while he works off his debt to society as an agent for the CIA. This mission proves to be a bit more work than he had in mind, as his opposite number in the KGB, Ilya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) has been assigned the job of making sure that Gaby doesn’t reach West Berlin. In the television series, Kuryakin was something of an enigma, but this time he has more backstory, and a violent one at that—as Solo soon discovers, much to his dismay. (This reimagining of Kuryakin is one of the film’s most questionable elements, but if it is a misstep, it’s a minor one.)

Solo and Kuryakin’s encounter with each other proves to be just a taste of things to come, as the CIA and the KGB end up grudgingly working together to prevent a pair of non-state actors (Elizabeth Debikci and Luca Calvani) from acquiring the technology to build a nuclear bomb. So, Solo and Kuryakin are forced to work together (no less grudgingly) in order to prevent this from happening. To say more would be to say too much, because while the plot machinations of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. aren’t particularly novel, half of the fun comes from watching the twists and turns unfold. Suffice it to say that by the end of the film, Solo and Kuryakin will form a partnership of a more lasting sort under the aegis of the newly formed international spy organization, U.N.C.L.E. Yet while that may seem like a foregone conclusion, Ritchie and Wigram tried to leave at least a shadow of a doubt by having the rival spy organizations order their respective agents to eliminate the opposition if necessary. Still, anyone familiar with the series will know where everything is headed, but as with many things in life, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is all about the journey, not the destination.

That journey always remains interesting thanks to Ritchie’s patented omniscient camerawork and jump-cut editing style. He always keeps viewers oriented with the geography of the action scenes by using eye-in-the-sky overhead cameras and by zooming back and forth to various elements within the scene. The randomly frenetic editing in most modern action scenes tends to leave viewers disoriented, and establishing geography seems to be a lost art from these days. Yet Ritchie is one of its few remaining practitioners, and the action in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is always clear and comprehensible—at least, it is when he wants it to be. He also subverts expectations by withholding essential information that’s only revealed later in the film, which ends up putting a completely different spin on the proceedings. He even uses his visuals to provide an ironic counterpoint to the spoken dialogue.

That’s most readily apparent in the way that Ritchie uses foregrounds and backgrounds, with his foregrounds sometimes representing the calm in the middle of the storm, like when Solo takes a moment of repast while Kuryakin can be seen behind him unsuccessfully dealing with a few bad guys. Or when Solo and Kuryakin have a quiet conversation while another character can be seen through the window behind them, having a slightly less pleasant experience than they are. Ritchie isn’t afraid to subvert action movie expectations in general, either. Toward the end of the film, the story requires what Roger Ebert used to call the “impregnable fortress impregnated,” with Solo, Kuryakin, and their cohorts storming the villain’s lair. It’s a semi-obligatory element of the spy genre as established by the James Bond films, and yet Ritchie dispenses with the entire sequence in a quick montage set to Daniel Pemberton’s swinging score. He’s not afraid to sacrifice the expected gunfire and explosions in favor of quiet moments like these, and that’s part of what makes The Man from U.N.C.L.E. so special.

It’s all a matter of tone, and Ritchie nails that tone perfectly all throughout the film. It certainly doesn’t hurt that his casting is as impeccable as ever, with Henry Cavill delivering a spy movie performance for the ages as Napoleon Solo. Cavill is more than capable of delivering a perfectly ordinary American accent when it’s called for, but in this case, he’s actually delivering a perfect parody of Robert Vaughn’s distinctive vocal delivery. Armie Hammer doesn’t fare quite as well as Ilya Kuryakin, but he’s undone a bit by the fact that this conception of the character is arguably too thuggish. The rest of the cast is superb, with Vikander, Debicki, and Calvani being matched by supporting actors like Sylvester Groth, Jared Harris, and a genuinely delightful Hugh Grant (“For a special agent, you’re not having a very special day, are you?”) Still, we’re talking about a film that foregrounds two of the most perfect physical specimens ever to grace the earth, Henry Cavill and Elizabeth Debicki. What more could a growing boy want?

More than that, apparently. While The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was hardly a flop, it didn’t make nearly enough at the box office to recoup its relatively modest budgetary investment of $75 million. Sometimes, audiences just don’t know what’s good for them. While the reviews were solid and the word of mouth was strong, the returns still weren’t strong enough to make Warner Bros. show any interest in backing a sequel. (And with the trajectory that Warner Bros. has been taking lately, that’s less likely now than ever.) Still, as unintentional one-shots go, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is delightfully cool. Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin may never have the opportunity to continue saving the world from itself, but that smaller world is still a much cooler place thanks to the existence of Ritchie’s film.

Cinematographer John Mathieson captured The Man from U.N.C.L.E. digitally in ARRIRAW format at 2.8K resolution using Arri Alexa XT and Alexa M cameras with Panavision E-Series anamorphic primes, Panavision anamorphic zooms, Zeiss Super Speed spherical primes, and Cooke Varotal lenses. He also used a Canon Cinema EOS C500 in Canon 4K RAW format with the same suite of lenses, while some underwater shots were captured with Canon EOS 5D Mark II cameras in H.264 format. While Mathieson still preferred working with film at that point, he ultimately embraced the stylized look that digital offered The Man from U.N.C.L.E.—although he managed to sneak in some 16mm footage shot using a wind-up Bolex for the opening sequence. Postproduction work was completed as a 2K Digital Intermediate, framed at 2.39:1 for its theatrical release. For this version, Warner Bros. has upscaled the 2K DI to 4K and graded it for High Dynamic Range in both Dolby Vision and HDR10.

The results demonstrate once again that there are significant advantages to upscaling at the uncompressed source rather than from compressed 1080p Blu-ray at the user’s end, especially where higher capture resolutions are involved. The image is crisp and clear, with fine textures that appear more refined than they do on Blu-ray. It may not be true 4K, but it’s still a noticeable step up in terms of perceived resolution. There’s a fine layer of fake grain throughout that always looks smooth. The HDR grade intensifies the colors without pushing them to extremes, with the brilliant reds of the opening credits and Kuryakin’s darkroom really making an impression here. The contrast is flawless, and the gleaming highlights of the chrome and the impeccably polished paint on the period vehicles really glisten in HDR. It may be evolutionary, not revolutionary, but The Man from U.N.C.L.E. still gains from the transition to 4K.

Audio is offered in English Dolby Atmos, with optional English SDH subtitles. It’s the same Atmos track that was offered on the previous Warner Bros., Blu-ray, but there’s no need for an upgrade because it’s always been a fantastic track. Even the music comes to life in Atmos, kicking off with Roberta Flack’s 1969 cover of Gene McDaniels’ Compared to What swirling through around the soundstage during the opening credits, and every note of the iconic bass riff is perfectly delineated on the bottom end. Daniel Pemberton’s sly score is treated equally well. The overheads are used sparingly for effects like thunder and the sounds of Napoleon Solo... well, not exactly going it solo in the overhead apartment, if you know what I mean. In keeping with the Ritchie’s deft handling of action and violence, standard action movie material like gunfire and explosions are frequently muted in favor of the score, songs, and the dialogue. Style is always front and center in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and that applies to its sound mix as well. If you’re itching for things falling down and going boom, then grab a copy of Saving Private Ryan instead, but if you want to hear a more creative use of subjective audio, then this is the mix for you.

Arrow’s Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is UHD only—there’s no Blu-ray included in the package. The insert is reversible, featuring new artwork by Dare Creative on one side and the original theatrical artwork on the other. There’s also a fold-out poster featuring both artworks and a 24-page booklet with essays by Barry Forshaw and David Heuring, as well as a slipcover with the Dare Creative artwork. The following new and archival extras are included:

• Audio Commentary by Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• The Hollywood Way (HD – 16:14)
• A Lineage of Bad Guys (HD – 15:26)
• Legacy of U.N.C.L.E. (HD – 28:38)
• Cockneys and Robbers (HD – 25:13)
• Spy Vision: Recreating 60s Cool (HD – 8:32)
• A Higher Class of Hero (HD – 7:12)
• Metisse Motorcycles: Proper and Very British (HD – 4:46)
• The Guys from U.N.C.L.E. (HD – 4:55)
• A Man of Extraordinary Talents (HD – 3:13)
• U.N.C.L.E.: On-Set Spy Featurettes:
  • Don’t Swim Elegantly (HD – 1:06)
  • You Want to Wrestle? (HD – 1:08)
  • Heli Restored (HD – 1:07)
  • A Family Thing (HD – 1:46)
• Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:35)
• Image Gallery (UHD, 33 in all)

The new commentary pairs film journalists Bryan Reesman and Max Evry, both of whom kick off the track by doing the same thing that Guy Ritchie did: drinking in Roberta Flack’s version of Compared to What. They offer some historical details about East and West Berlin, as well as the history of the television series, and provide an in-depth look at the torturous process that it took for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to reach the big screen. (That particular history is broken into segments that appear all throughout the track, so be patient). They accurately refer to the film as a prequel to a reboot, and analyze how it updates elements from the series while still being faithful to its retro aesthetic. (They note that Ritchie treated the violence as if he had to work within the constraints of television censorship.) According to Reesman and Evry, Henry Cavill never watched the show in preparation for the film, and he didn’t base his performance on Vaughn (although I still argue that his accent says otherwise). It’s more of a conversation than a screen-specific commentary, but there’s plenty of interesting information here.

The next two extras are new interviews conducted by Arrow. The Hollywood Way is with co-writer/producer Lionel Wigram, who reminisces about his own background in the film business before describing his working relationship with Ritchie and the process of developing the original series into a film. A Lineage of Bad Guys is with Luca Calvani, who also discusses his background, working with Ritchie, and his thoughts about the character of Alexander Vinciguerra.

There are also two new featurettes that were produced by Arrow. Legacy of U.N.C.L.E. is an examination of the original television series, featuring film historian Vic Pratt and Reprobate Press editor David Flint, plus writer and self-described Ilya Kuryakin fangirl Helen McCarthy. They also offer their thoughts about how the film respected the legacy of the series. There are clips from the film and plenty of vintage stills on display, but no clips from the series (presumably due to rights issues). Cockneys and Robbers is a look at Guy Ritchie’s filmography, featuring critics Kat Hughes and Hannah Strong, plus Josh Saco, executive director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. They trace the ups and downs of Ritchie’s career, and analyze his style and the themes that he has explored.

Aside from a new Image Gallery, the rest of the extras are all ported over from the 2015 Warner Bros. Blu-ray release of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. They’re mostly EPK-style featurettes that include interviews with various members of the cast and crew as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Spy Vision, A Higher Class of Hero, Metisse Motorcyles, The Guys from U.N.C.L.E., and A Man of Extraordinary Talents all focus on various aspects of the development and production of the film. The U.N.C.L.E.: On-Set Spy Featurettes are basically leftovers from the footage shot by the EPK crew. Be sure to check out Heli Restored, which shows off the restored helicopter from Goldfinger that was used in the film. (It’s the Hiller UH12 E4 that Pussy Galore piloted while flying Goldfinger to Fort Knox.)

While these extras from the Warner Bros. Blu-ray were a bit perfunctory, it’s still great that Arrow has included them here, and they’ve added a substantial quantity of new extras of their own. All that, plus the upgrade to 4K and some striking packaging, means that Arrow’s UHD of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is too cool for school, just like Ritchie’s film. Highly recommended.

- Stephen Bjork

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