Deadpool and Wolverine He’s probably been away long enough to mention one spoiler-filled throwaway cameo: In one scene, in a montage of Wolverines from alternate timelines, one of them is played not by Hugh Jackman, but by Henry Cavill. Like many of the movie’s jokes, this is either a variation on internet-fueled behind-the-scenes rumors—at some point, Cavill was mentioned to play Wolverine in the MCU’s rebooted X-Men—or possibly just some fans’ version of what Deadpool would call a “polite wish” for the role. It’s also likely some sort of polite wish from Cavill himself, even if he doesn’t have specific designs on Wolverine—he’s probably just a fan of the film’s own. The man has spent more than a decade trying to find a signature role with some sort of basis in intellectual property, be it Superman (whom he played in Life, Death, Life for Zack Snyder’s cycle of DC superhero films), Sherlock Holmes (whom he played, somewhat listlessly, in a series of Netflix children’s movies), or Agent Argylle, whoever that’s supposed to be. But his accidental signature role, one that has informed his career and the career of his creator nearly a decade after its release, has just appeared on Netflix’s charts: it’s The man from UNCLEbaby.
Guy Ritchie’s spy film was released in 2015 to a paltry box office take, perhaps because it wasn’t the right kind of fictional film for the superhero era. The 1960s TV adaptation is a ploy from a different era; in the 1990s, we got one of these every six months or so, often but not always tied to sitcoms that made no sense as movies. It’s certainly odd that we had any movies at all. The Beverly Hillbillies and McHale’s Navy before the most cinematic UNCLEwhich was actually kicking around Hollywood as a potentially attractive film for two decades before Ritchie finally made it. It succeeded where Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, David Dobkin and Ritchie’s friend Matthew Vaughn failed, only to fail anyway, in the sense that the film lost money.
At the time, the film was in the midst of Ritchie’s attempt at self-promotion in Hollywood franchises, following two Sherlock Holmes films (starring Robert Downey Jr., not Cavill) and which preceded an aborted King Arthur series plus its billion-dollar Disney adaptation. All of these films have elements that make them recommendable (Ritchie’s films are usually, at the very least, decent entertainment), but UNCLE is the piece of intellectual property that seems to have served as an unlikely inspiration for the post-Aladdin makeover. In the 2020s, he has become something of a father-son Soderbergh, drawing inspiration from his old crime films like The Knightsbut also getting a little bigger and brighter with things like Operation Fortune and The Ministry of Unchivalrous Warfare – and produce at least one a year. His next film is due out in January 2025 and stars, as you might have guessed, Henry Cavill, the same actor who starred in this year’s film. Ministry of Unchivalrous Warfare(Ritchie has another movie lined up for release in 2025 or 2026, though Cavill doesn’t appear to be in it, at least not yet.)
Although Man from UNCLE Though it now has a cult following that appreciates it, it didn’t exactly receive glowing reviews in 2015, in part because it relied on what some saw as something of a battle of the stiffs: Cavill, the Brit who played Superman, again had to soften his accent to play the stolid American spy Napoleon Solo, opposite Armie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin, Solo’s dour Russian counterpart in the KGB. There are, however, some unexpected strategic advantages to these less quirky leads and their appeal that seems so mechanized it borders on the uncanny. Throughout his career, Ritchie has shown fewer overt designs on James Bond improvisation than his pal Vaughn, but he’s pretty good at it, too. In that context, Cavill and Hammer are perfect as not-quite-Bond replacements who seem to split 007’s famous qualities: Cavill has an unflappable smoothness, without the menacing sexuality; Hammer is more animalistic but considerably less charismatic than the average Bond. It’s a joke that isn’t quite told in the movie that, together, they almost amount to a genuine super spy.
This yin and yang of solid masculinity also allows the women in the film to cut memorable figures in a way not previously seen in Ritchie’s work. Alicia Vikander (as the mostly good girl) and Elizabeth Debicki (as the femme fatale promoted to main villain) may get away with their personal style (Vikander’s pajamas! Debicki’s towering height standing on a speedboat!), but that’s all Ritchie does, isn’t it? His sleek style is his essence, and this may be his most aesthetically beautiful film, at least until its mixed-action climax. Ritchie clearly enjoys filming punch-ups and foot chases, but he’s not really much of an action guy. For all his flare, he seems most comfortable with action when it can be a physical expression of the character (or, at least, that character’s style).
In retrospect, then, it seems that… The man from UNCLE It’s the film that taught Ritchie how he could really bring his own style to a big-budget production, and bring some big-budget style to the lower-budget thrillers he’s been making lately. Operation Fortune and Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare There’s certainly more to Ritchie than his Sherlock Holmes adventures with this film; he’s practically created an entire genre out of brazen international espionage. And, on a practical level, this film also connected Ritchie with Cavill and Hugh Grant, who became frequent collaborators.
It’s only natural, then, that fans and stars of the film alike openly yearned for a sequel as the original’s reputation grew, especially with its story serving as the origin of the U.N.C.L.E. organization. It was a risky bet back then, and now, with Hammer just beginning to test the waters following multiple disturbing sexual allegations and Warner Bros. in perpetual leadership turmoil, it seems like one of those impossible missions you’ve heard so much about. But Ritchie’s unofficial franchise continues, and perhaps it’s ultimately preferable to keep this film as a standalone delight, safe from going belly-up. It may be a harsh lesson for Cavill, who has yet to find his proper brand of intellectual property. But The man from UNCLE It’s pretty much the case that you shouldn’t necessarily bother when you can look good in a sleek, casual outfit.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer based in Brooklyn. He is a regular contributor to The AV Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts on www.sportsalcohol.comalso.
