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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019  
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
2015 | Action, Comedy, Mystery
7
6.9 (17 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
I have to admit, I knew nothing about The Man from U.N.C.L.E going into the movie, other than it was based on a TV show from the 60’s. It had flown under my radar for most of the year, overshadowed by highly-anticipated titles with colons, i.e., Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. When the screener was scheduled I was actually tempted to assign it to another reviewer. Then I watched the trailer and saw Henry Cavill (Superman) was one of the stars. At the risk of sounding shallow, that changed my mind.

As we waited for the movie to start, the Man from U.N.C.L.E soundtrack played through the theater’s sound system, transporting me to a Mad Men mindset, which helped as the movie backdrop is set in the early 1960’s period of the Cold War. We’re introduced first to Napoleon Solo, a CIA agent Cavill plays with amusing James Bond suave with an old-time movie accent. (Officially, I believe it’s called a Transatlantic accent.) He’s paired with Armie Hammer’s Illya Kuryakin, a KGB agent on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization. To accomplish that, they need the cooperation of Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), the abandoned daughter of a German scientist, who is their key to infiltrating the criminal organization.

As you can guess, all the spy movie cliches can be found in Man from U.N.C.L.E. from the debonair womanizing agent, menacing foreigners, the femme fatale, the elaborate schemes that are executed smoothly, explanatory monologues, convenient gadgets, et al – just a vintage low tech, high glam version of spy movies you may have seen of late.

I’m actually glad I went in without any expectations. Guy Ritchie turned a pretty simple, straightforward plot into an intricate,, slightly off-kilter caper, with touches of his trademark storytelling from various perspectives. I enjoyed the subtle vying for supremacy the uneasy truce between Solo and Illya created, and while he’s not as dashing as Cavill, Hammer had great chemistry with Vikander.

This year has been quite the year for spy movies. U.N.C.L.E. is not the action thriller that Mission Impossible is, it’s also far from the campy shocker that Kingsmen was, nor is it as outrageously funny as Spy, but as spy movies go, U.N.C.L.E fits smoothly and oddly comfortably in that fold.
  
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Atomic Blonde (2017) in Movies

Sep 5, 2017  
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
2017 | Action, Mystery, Thriller
8
6.9 (89 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Cast are great (2 more)
Soundtrack is awesome
Interesting tone
Predictable twists (0 more)
It's A Blast
This movie is directed by David Leitch, the guy who did the John Wick movies, so going in what I expected was essentially John Wick with a female lead. This movie turned out to be much more than that. There is an interesting narrative built around the fast paced action and the characters are all well rounded. Theron is brilliant in the lead role, MacAvoy is also fantastic as per usual. The rest of the cast including John Goodman, Sofia Boutella and Eddie Marsen are good too. The soundtrack and backdrop of this movie provide an interesting tone also and overall, it is a fantastic spy action thriller.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Rise of the Enemy (The Enemy #2) in Books

Apr 24, 2020  
Rise of the Enemy (The Enemy #2)
Rise of the Enemy (The Enemy #2)
Rob Sinclair | 2015 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What we have here is another winner from Mr Sinclair and yet another off my to-be-read pile!

Having recently read the first in the series, "Dance With The Enemy", I admit to being a little nervous as to whether this instalment was going to be as good however, I needn't have worried .... this is just as good and had been hooked from start to finish.

With loads of action and suspense, fantastic characters and excellent story, this is a riveting spy thriller and one I would highly recommend. This is the second in the series and although not absolutely essential, I would recommend you read the first ... believe me, you won't be disappointed.

Once again, belated thanks go to Clink Street Publishing and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.