The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | |
---|---|
Directed by | Guy Ritchie |
Screenplay by |
|
Story by |
|
Based on | |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | John Mathieson |
Edited by | James Herbert |
Music by | Daniel Pemberton |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 116 minutes [1] |
Countries |
|
Language | English |
Budget | $75 million [2] [3] |
Box office | $110 million [4] |
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a 2015 spy film directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Ritchie and Lionel Wigram. It is based on the 1964 MGM television series of the same name, which was created by Norman Felton and Sam Rolfe. The film stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, and Hugh Grant. The film was produced by RatPac-Dune Entertainment and Davis Entertainment while Turner Entertainment Co., the original TV series current holder, was also involved.
In 1993, John Davis obtained the rights for a film adaptation based on the original series. However, the film fell into development limbo due to multiple script rewrites. Over the years, Matthew Vaughn, David Dobkin, and Steven Soderbergh were optioned for directing until Ritchie signed on in March 2013. The film premiered at Barcelona on August 2, 2015, and was released on August 14, 2015, by Warner Bros. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing only $110 million worldwide on a $75 million budget. [5] Rolling Stone listed this movie 50th on the best action movies of all time. [6]
In 1963, CIA Agent Napoleon Solo extracts Gaby Teller, daughter of nuclear scientist Dr. Udo Teller, from East Berlin. Solo and KGB Agent Illya Kuryakin are ordered to team up and stop Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra, Nazi sympathizers using Udo Teller to build their own private nuclear weapon.
The men travel to Rome with Gaby, whose uncle Rudi works for the Vinciguerras. Kuryakin and Gaby pose as a romantic couple so that Illya can access the Vinciguerras. Ordinary muggers take Kuryakin's father's watch, but Kuryakin does not fight them in order to maintain his cover. Solo and Kuryakin break into a Vinciguerra shipping yard and find traces of uranium. While escaping by water, Kuryakin nearly drowns, but Solo saves him.
The following day, Gaby meets with Rudi and Alexander and betrays Kuryakin and Solo to them. Rudi tortures Solo, but Kuryakin rescues him and tortures Rudi. Rudi reveals the weapon is hidden in an island fortress where Gaby has been reunited with her father. Teller completes the weapon, and Victoria kills him.
Solo and Kuryakin are approached by Alexander Waverly, a MI6 officer who reveals Gaby is his undercover officer. They infiltrate the Vinciguerras' compound. Solo finds Kuryakin's stolen watch on a guard. Alexander Vinciguerra attempts to escape with the warhead, but is intercepted and killed. Solo retrieves the disc with Teller's research but realizes Alexander's warhead was a decoy—Victoria has left with the real warhead. Solo distracts Victoria via radio while Waverly launches a homing missile, destroying the nuclear weapon and killing Victoria.
Kuryakin confronts Solo in his hotel room, and Solo returns the stolen watch. Kuryakin admits his assignment was to kill Solo and take the disc for his government. Solo replies that he knew this, and had the same orders. They instead burn the contents of the disc, to give neither side the upper hand in the arms race. Reuniting with Gaby and Waverly, the trio have been reassigned to Waverly's international organization. Waverly gives them a new mission under a new codename: U.N.C.L.E.
Producer John Davis optioned the film rights to the 1960s TV series in 1993, setting up a development deal for an adaptation with Warner Bros. and series producer Norman Felton. Davis has estimated that he commissioned 12 or 14 different scripts over the course of 20 years, with writers Jim and John Thomas, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, and Scott Z. Burns. Quentin Tarantino was briefly attached following the success of Pulp Fiction , but opted to make Jackie Brown instead. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. continued to labor in development hell with directors Matthew Vaughn and David Dobkin. [7] Steven Soderbergh was attached to direct Scott Z. Burns' screenplay, with production slated to begin in March 2012. Executives from Warner Bros. wanted the budget to stay below $60 million, but Soderbergh felt that amount would not be adequate to fund the 1960s-era sets, props, and international settings required for the film. [8] Emily Blunt was nearly cast as the female lead, [9] but she left the project shortly after Soderbergh departed in November 2011. [10]
Guy Ritchie signed on in March 2013. [11] On July 31, 2013, it was announced that Ritchie's adaptation would start filming in September 2013 in London and Italy. [12] [13] The final production budget was approximately $75 million US.
In November 2010, George Clooney showed interest in the film, [14] and was in talks for the lead role of Napoleon Solo, but he left in September 2011 due to a recurring back injury. [15] [16] After Clooney's departure, actors including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, Channing Tatum, Alexander Skarsgård, Ewan McGregor, Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Michael Fassbender, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Kinnaman, Russell Crowe, Chris Pine, Ryan Reynolds, and Jon Hamm were considered for the lead role. [17] On March 18, 2013, Tom Cruise was in early talks to take the lead in the film. [11] Armie Hammer was cast in the second lead role as Illya Kuryakin on April 24, 2013, with Cruise set as Solo. [18] Swedish actress Alicia Vikander joined the film on May 8, 2013, as the female lead. [19] On May 23, 2013, Cruise dropped out of the film, due to his commitment to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation . [20] [21] British actor Henry Cavill replaced Cruise. [22] [23] [24] Elizabeth Debicki was cast in a femme fatale role on July 31, 2013; Rose Byrne and Charlize Theron were earlier considered for the same part. [25] On August 8, 2013, Hugh Grant joined the cast as Alexander Waverly, the head of United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E). [26] Jared Harris was cast as Sanders on September 4, 2013, [27] and Luca Calvani was cast as a villain, Alexander. [28] Simona Caparrini was also cast to play Contessa. [29]
Principal photography on the film commenced on September 9, 2013. [30] In October 2013, filming was being under way at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Royal Victoria Docks, London and Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit in West Sussex, UK.
Two locations stood in place for Berlin sites on either side of the wall: the public toilet fight between Solo and Kuryakin was shot in Regent's Park in London, while the car chase during the movie's first act was shot in Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent UK. [31] [32] [33]
Director Guy Ritchie finalized the script throughout production: "He's quite intuitive and tends to constantly rewrite stuff, which he does even when they're shooting. He'll rewrite things in the morning if they're shooting that day, working with the actors if something doesn't feel right." says long-term collaborator David Allcock. [34]
The musical score for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was composed by Daniel Pemberton. [35] A soundtrack album was released by WaterTower Music on August 7, 2015. [36] A behind the scenes video was also released. [37] The musical score received many glowing reviews with the LA Times noting "it is composer Daniel Pemberton who in some ways seems to understand the idea of the movie even better than Ritchie, his score featuring breathy flutes, twangy guitar, spooky harpsichord and pounding drums and organ capturing the mixture of pastiche, homage and a twist of the new in a way the rest of the film rarely matches." [38]
The film was scheduled for a January 16, 2015 release, [39] but on August 12, 2014, Warner Bros moved the film's release date from January 16, 2015, to August 14, 2015. [40]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 17, 2015, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. [41]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. grossed $45.4 million in North America and $64.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $109.8 million, against a production budget of $75 million. [4] The Hollywood Reporter estimated the film lost the studio at least $80 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues. [42]
The film grossed $900,000 from its early Thursday screenings and $4.8 million on its opening day. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $13.4 million, which was about $5 million below expectations, finishing third at the box office. [43] In its second weekend it dropped 45% to $7.3 million, finishing fifth. [44]
It opened in Russia with $3.1 million. [45] In the United Kingdom, it opened alongside Sony Pictures' Pixels , earning $2.3 million, debuting at number 4 for Friday-to-Sunday, while Pixels was at No. 1 with $4.2 million, including previews during the week. Warner Bros did not preview The Man from U.N.C.L.E. [45] Across Asia, it generated $2.7 million from six countries and $1.7 million in Australia. [45]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 68% based on 295 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tries to distract from an unremarkable story with charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces, adding up to an uneven action thriller with just enough style to overcome its lack of substance." [41] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [46] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [3]
Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Trailer Awards | Best Action | "Better Alone" | Nominated | [47] |
Best Motion/Title Graphics | "Timeline" | Won | ||
Best Graphics in a TV Spot | "That Kind of Review" | Won | ||
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Body of Work | Alicia Vikander (also for Burnt, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina) | Won |
In April 2017, it was reported that Wigram was working on the script for a sequel at the suggestion of Hammer. Cavill stated that he would be excited to return for the sequel. [48] [49]
A 3D action game based on the film titled Mission: Berlin was released on iOS and Android. It featured sneaking, shooting, and getting in and out of drivable vehicles in the style of open world games. The player can choose to play as Solo or Kuryakin. There was also a multiplayer death match. As of December 2018, the game has been removed from both marketplaces. [50]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, played by David McCallum, who work for a secret international counterespionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E.. The series premiered on September 22, 1964, and completed its run on January 15, 1968. The program was part of the spy-fiction craze on television, and by 1966 there were nearly a dozen imitators. Several episodes were successfully released to theaters as B movies or double features. There was also a spin-off series, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., a series of novels and comic books, and merchandising.
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films and the Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr.
Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond, known professionally as Matthew Vaughn, is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), and directed Layer Cake (2004), Stardust (2007), Kick-Ass (2010), X-Men: First Class (2011), and Argylle (2024). Vaughn also co-created the Kingsman comic book series and resulting franchise, directing, producing and co-writing the films Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and The King's Man (2021).
John Andrew Davis is an American film producer and founder of Davis Entertainment.
Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a British actor. He is known for his portrayal of Charles Brandon in Showtime's The Tudors (2007–2010), Superman in the DC Extended Universe (2013–2023), Geralt of Rivia in the Netflix fantasy series The Witcher (2019–2023) and Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film Enola Holmes (2020) and its 2022 sequel.
Napoleon Solo is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The series format was notable for pairing the American Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and the Russian Illya Kuryakin, played by David McCallum, as two spies who work together for an international espionage organisation at the height of the Cold War.
Illya Kuryakin is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He is a secret agent with a range of weapons and explosives skills, and is described in the series as holding a master's degree from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in Quantum Mechanics from the University of Cambridge. And attended the University of Georgia in Ukraine, where he studied gymnastics among other things. Kuryakin speaks many languages, including French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Italian and Japanese. The series was remarkable for pairing an American character, Napoleon Solo, with the Russian Kuryakin as two spies who work together for an international espionage organization at the height of the Cold War.
DC Comics's Superman franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception. The character debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941, and then was the protagonist of two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After numerous scripts and several years in development, Richard Donner was hired as their director, and he shot two films, Superman (1978), and Superman II (1980), at the same time, both starring Christopher Reeve. Donner had already shot eighty percent of Superman II before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman's release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II. Lester returned to direct Superman III (1983). The Salkinds also produced the related spin-off Supergirl (1984). They then sold the rights to Cannon Films, which produced the poorly reviewed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights entirely in 1993.
Alexander Waverly is a fictional character from the 1960s television show The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,its spin-off series The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. and the 2015 film version.
How to Steal the World is a 1968 American action–adventure film, taken from a two-part episode of the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. The film also stars Barry Sullivan, Eleanor Parker, Leslie Nielsen, Tony Bill, Peter Mark Richman, Albert Paulsen, Inger Stratton, Hugh Marlowe, and Dan O'Herlihy. It was originally telecast as the final episode of the series, "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair". The feature version is the only U.N.C.L.E. film not to include Jerry Goldsmith's theme music. The film was directed by Sutton Roley and written by Norman Hudis.
Armand Douglas Hammer is an American actor. He began his acting career with guest appearances in several television series. His first leading role was as Billy Graham in the 2008 film Billy: The Early Years and Hammer gained wider recognition for his double role portraying the twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in David Fincher's biopic The Social Network (2010), for which he won the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The Helicopter Spies is a 1968 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s fourth season two-part episode "The Prince of Darkness Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on October 2, 1967, and October 9, 1967, on NBC. Like the television series, it stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. It is the seventh such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series. The film was directed by Boris Sagal and written by Dean Hargrove. Carol Lynley, Bradford Dillman, Lola Albright, John Dehner, Julie London, H.M. Wynant, and Roy Jenson also star in the film.
The Spy with My Face is a 1965 spy-fi spy film based on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. television series. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum reprised their roles as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin respectively. THRUSH tries to steal a super weapon by substituting a double for Solo. The film was directed by John Newland.
The Spy in the Green Hat is a 1967 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s third season two-part episode "The Concrete Overcoat Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on November 25, 1966 and December 2, 1966 on NBC. The film was directed by Joseph Sargent and written by Peter Allan Fields with the story by David Victor. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum star in the film as they do in the television series. It is the fifth such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series.
One Spy Too Many, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, is the 1966 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s two-part season two premiere "Alexander the Greater Affair". It is the third such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series. In this instance, the film took the two-part episode and added in a subplot featuring Yvonne Craig as an U.N.C.L.E. operative carrying on a flirtatious relationship with Napoleon Solo ; Craig does not appear in the television episodes. Both episodes were written by Dean Hargrove and directed by Joseph Sargent.
Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, and Syncopy, it was directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay written by David S. Goyer who developed the story with producer Christopher Nolan. The film is a reboot of the Superman film series, depicting the character's origin story, and it is the first installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill as Superman in the title role along with Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and Russell Crowe. In the film, Clark Kent learns that he is a superpowered alien from the planet Krypton. He assumes the role of mankind's protector as Superman, making the choice to face General Zod and prevent him from destroying humanity.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a 2017 epic fantasy action-adventure film directed by Guy Ritchie who co-wrote the film with Joby Harold and Lionel Wigram from a story by Harold and David Dobkin, inspired by Arthurian legends. The film stars Charlie Hunnam as the title character and Jude Law as the tyrannical king Vortigern who is attempting to kill him, with Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, and Eric Bana in supporting roles.
Justice League is a 2017 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, and Cruel and Unusual Films, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Zack Snyder who was replaced by Joss Whedon after Snyder left the project and written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, the film features an ensemble cast including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons. In the film, following the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Batman and Wonder Woman recruit The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg after the death of Superman to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.
Black Adam is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo. and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) and the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a script by Adam Sztykiel and the writing team of Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, the film stars Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam / Black Adam, an ancient superhuman who is released from his magic imprisonment by a group of archeologists to free the nation of Kahndaq from the crime syndicate Intergang, whose local leader plans to obtain an ancient relic called the Crown of Sabbac to take control of it. Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo appear in supporting roles.
Magic Mike's Last Dance is a 2023 American comedy drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Reid Carolin, and produced by Channing Tatum. It is the third and final installment in the Magic Mike trilogy, following Magic Mike (2012) and Magic Mike XXL (2015). The film stars Tatum as the titular retired male stripper, who leaves Florida for London to help a socialite produce a stage play.