For decades, Guy Ritchie was the director you called when you wanted bonkers, ballistic action tied up in a byzantine, paranoid plot. His best films are the kind that inspire visceral reactions, whether it be the one-two punch of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, or glossier blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin. Love him or hate him, you can’t say his films don’t boast personality — but such a distinctive imprint does make it harder to pivot into quieter fare.
Such was the struggle for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., one of Ritchie’s most restrained films yet. It helps to know that Ritchie wasn’t the first director attached to the 2015 film: conceived as a reboot of the 1960s spy series of the same name, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. spent years in purgatory, cycling through filmmakers and actors. The honor of directing nearly went to Steven Soderbergh, which might explain the unflappable, understated cool Ritchie is channeling in his stead.
