By Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com
originally published: 08/20/2015
Star Trek. The Fugitive. The Twilight Zone. The Prisoner. The Outer Limits. Anyone old enough to even catch the ‘90s reruns of these shows will tell you the ‘60s was the true golden age of TV. Add into the mix The Man from UNCLE, initially devised as a small screen James Bond cash-in but eventually finding its own groove and becoming one of the decade’s most memorable shows. Several attempts have been made to bring UNCLE to the big screen, with names like Tom Cruise, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh previously attached, and now it’s finally found its way to the multiplex under the direction of Guy Ritchie, who also shares a co-writing credit with Lionel Wigram.
The movie keeps the ‘60s setting of the original show, albeit a couple of years earlier than the show’s 1964 debut, with JFK still alive and in the White House, but yet again we’re given an origin story we could live without. The series simply dropped us into the fully formed United Network Command for Law and Enforcement with Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo and David McCallum’s Illya Kuryakin already amicable partners. Ritchie’s film begins with CIA agent Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB stiff Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) on opposing sides (the Cold War was never mentioned in the ‘60s show, with the focus on an enemy force named THRUSH). The two are forced to team-up to protect East German defector Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) and take down a mysterious organization run by one of the models from Blow Up (Elizabeth Debicki).
If you’re a fan of the original show (and, frankly, how could you not be?), there’s much to infuriate about this new interpretation. I understand the movie has to appeal to as large an audience as possible, and rightly so, but the film seems to go out of its way to distance itself from its source. We hear a grand total of two seconds of Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic theme tune, and it’s actively mocked, as Solo switches between channels on a car radio. The famous communicators are never produced. We never hear the phrase “Open Channel D!” Cavill makes for a convincing Solo, and Hugh Grant is perfect as Section Chief Alexander Waverly, but Kuryakin has been transformed from a svelte, melancholy mastermind to a big dumb brute, from a ballet dancer to bodybuilder. THRUSH is notably absent. We get no glimpse of UNCLE HQ or its famous secret entrance through Del Floria’s tailor shop. Gadgets are nowhere to be seen. The only reference to the original show that will please fans involves the notorious faulty wiring of a villain’s torture device. Basically we have a random ‘60s set spy movie with a recognisable brand name slapped on it.
So is that random ‘60s set spy movie any good in its own right? Well, yes, it’s not half bad. Ritchie is a filmmaker I’ve had a lot of trouble with in the past, thanks to his irritating, overly showy directing style, but I have to commend his work here. Ritchie has finally ditched his slo-mo obsession, replacing it with well staged and coherent action, and he employs the zoom lens in a striking manner that’s somewhere between Alan Rudolph and Jess Franco.
That said, there’s not a whole lot of action on display. The movie is quite daring in this regard, though some mainstream viewers may come away feeling short-changed, having been spoiled by the Mission Impossible franchise; you’re not going to see Henry Cavill hanging off a jet here. The movie’s best moment has a key action scene play offscreen, only partially glimpsed as a reflection on the windshield of a truck, inside of which Solo casually enjoys a sandwich and a glass of red wine. A third act raid on a villain’s lair is dispensed with in a quick Thomas Crown Affair style split screen montage. In an age of overblown and overlong superhero climaxes, this is very refreshing, and ballsy as hell.
About the author:
Eric Hillis is a film critic living in Sligo, Ireland who runs the website
TheMovieWaffler.com
Atonement
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 12:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJAmidst the chaos of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch. Anchored by unforgettable performances from Boyd Holbrook (A Complete Unknown, Narcos, The Morning Show), Hiam Abbass (Succession), and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human true story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness.
The Dads - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJA group of dads building a movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids are forced to make an impossible choice amid a shifting political landscape: stay and fight or flee the country.
The Choice - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 5:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ A haunting yet life-affirming film about reframing pain and the radical power of choice. It follows grieving mother Iris Haim as she mourns the loss of her son in the aftermath of October 7th and forms an unexpected bond with Dr. Edith Eger—a renowned psychologist, author, and Auschwitz survivor—whose hard-won wisdom guides her toward transformation.
Women On Trial - East Coast Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ1972. A landmark trial shakes France as young Marie-Claire is prosecuted for having an illegal abortion with the help of her mother and two other defendants. In a courtroom governed by men, the verdict seems inevitable: prison for the women, while the rapist goes unpunished. Their last hope lies with Gisèle Halimi, a fearless lawyer known for openly challenging patriarchy and confronting the system that condemns victims and lets perpetrators walk free. Alongside the accused, Gisèle will not only change their fate, but, against all odds, transform the condition of women forever.
American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJAgainst political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.
Far Out: Life On & After The Commune - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 4:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJFar Out: Life On & After the Commune traces fifty years in the lives of a group of New England writers, activists and artists. It conveys how the 1960s counterculture, embodied in two rural communes, transformed America. The story begins when a group of radical journalists leave New York for a new life in the country and follows them from the back-to-the-land movement to a new discovery of political commitment.
We Met At Grossingers - Teaneck Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 12:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJWe Met at Grossinger’s is an immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills—once known as the Borscht Belt—reviving the iconic resort that inspired Dirty Dancing and defined an era of Jewish American life.
Dust Bowls And Jewish Souls
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJMany know Woody Guthrie as the quintessential Oklahoman balladeer who wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” but few are aware that Jewish culture had a hand in shaping his private life and career. From award-winning filmmaker Steven Pressman (
The Levys of Monticello),
Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls explores Guthrie’s moving relationship with his mother-in-law, prominent Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, and the impact she had on his songwriting.
Jane Elliott Against The World - Weekend Closing Night - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJA rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Teaneck International Film Festival names first recipient of Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) has named filmmaker Luchina Fisher the first recipient of the Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award, a new annual honor celebrating an exceptional woman whose work reflects the creativity, curiosity, integrity and commitment to social impact that defined Klein's life and her nearly two decades with the festival. The award includes a $1,000 grant. Fisher will receive the inaugural award at the TIFF screening of her film, The Dads, on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Teaneck Cinemas (503 Cedar Lane).
"Directors' Commentary" to have NJ Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival
(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- After its world premiere at Dances With Films LA (DWFLA), one of the nation's leading indie film festivals, Directors' Commentary will have its New Jersey Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival, hosted by filmmaker Kevin Smith. The film will screen on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 12:00pm.
Teaneck International Film Festival Names Katie Camosy Recipient of 2026 Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award for "Gaslit"
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) and The Puffin Foundation have selected director Katie Camosy as the recipient of the 2nd Annual Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award for her documentary Gaslit. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and trophy and recognizes emerging filmmakers whose work embodies TIFF's guiding theme, "Activism: Making Change."
James R. Halsey Foundation Student Film Showcase to Take Place November 12th
(TRENTON, NJ) -- The James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts (JRH), a 501c3 non-profit agency dedicated to providing quality arts education and mentoring to youth in the City of Trenton and greater New Jersey area presents the 2026 Student Film Showcase. Taking place on November 12th at the New Jersey State Museum Auditorium from 5:00pm - 8:00pm, this event features three films, written, directed, and produced by students, as well as a documentary focused on raising awareness on men's mental health, featuring authentic student voices and professional interviews.
Count Basie Center for the Arts to Celebrate Centennial with an immersive re-enactment of its opening night
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts will cap its Centennial Celebration with an immersive re-enactment of its opening night on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 6:00pm. Patrons can expect an immersive theatrical presentation from the moment they approach the venue – from 'stars' of the era arriving in classic cars, Gatsby-esque fashion and flair, an authentic speakeasy experience with custom, era-specific cocktails and mocktails, 1920s hot jazz and more.
Learn about producing films with "Producing 101: From Script to Set with The Gig Media"
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Interested in filmmaking? You can learn how to produce a film like a pro at "Producing 101: From Script to Set with The Gig Media" on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Miraley Studios in Jersey City.
The Clairidge hosts Indie Film Showcase on November 21st
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- On Saturday, November 21, 2026, The Clairidge hosts a film showcase featuring three indie films - Wedding Night, Lady in the Mirror, and End of the Line: Brotherhood. Dive into three epic tales, one screen, and endless vibes at The Official Film Showcase. Showtime is 1:30pm.
