Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Luca Calvani, Hugh Grant, Sylvester Groth, Jared Harris, Christian Berkel, Misha Kuznetsov, Guy Williams, Marianna Di Matino, Simona Caparrini.

It’s almost impossible to dislike what Guy Ritchie brings to the world of film, he is at times the epitome of what great British cinema should be viewed as and his latest venture, a suave and sophisticated remake of the classic 1960s television programme The Man From U.N.C.L.E, is up there with RockNRolla, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the excellent Robert Downey Jnr. versions of Sherlock Holmes in terms of high pace, intelligent, creative independence and stylish cinema.

It seems odd in a way that a new version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E has not been done before and whilst nobody could really touch what Robert Vaughn and David McCallum brought to the roles of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, both Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer excel in the parts enough to more than suggest there is the hopeful sequel or two in the pipeline.

The Cold War was a prime time for the art of spying and whilst there may have been some who believed that the premise of the film should have been updated to the more unstable world that we find ourselves in today, the storyline and the precious feeling of accountability owed to the legacy of such great programmes of the past is one that draws more consideration that by tampering with a tried and tested formula.

For Henry Cavill the part of the dashing American spy with an aptitude for theft seems ready made, a clear nod to how his previous work on The Tudors and as easily the best Superman to hit the cinema screens so far has been received. In Armie Hammer’s case it is a true reflection of his considerable acting skills and a world away from the dreadful Lone Ranger film that he was unfortunately part of.

Whilst the two male leads excel, it is in Alicia Vikander to whom the film really feels as though it owes gratitude. Playing the role of the East Berlin woman to whom both Russia and America are convinced will help them in the search for her nuclear scientist father; Ms. Vikander plays the part with deft assurance and with absolute charm throughout and her scenes are amongst the very best in the film.

With Jared Harris and Hugh Grant giving very credible performances, The Man From U.N.C.L.E is a true blockbuster of a film and one that might only be beaten by the daddy of them all this autumn as Bond returns to the screen.

A fabulous film in which time has not had a big enormous chew of, The Man From U.N.C.L.E yet again confirms Guy Ritchie as one of the leading lights of British cinema.

Ian D. Hall