The Man From Uncle: 5 Mistakes That Seriously Damage The Movie

5. No Chemistry Between The Leads

Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, who play CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin respectively, are two actors who - when given the right material - are capable of good performances. Cavill made for a great Clark Kent in Man of Steel (even if that movie wasn't very good), and Armie Hammer was one of the best things about The Social Network - even if ever since then the poor guy has failed to find a role that actually suits him. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is very much a film that lives and dies on the chemistry of its two leading men, and whilst Cavill and Hammer are fine in their own parts, as a duo they lack the necessary chemistry to make us believe that they'd really work alongside one another and form a lasting relationship. There is no real spark; just the demands of the screenplay. Then there's Alicia Vikander, who plays the feisty German tomboy that is Gaby Teller - a female car mechanic living in East Berlin during the Cold War, and the love interest to Hammer's Kuryakin. Guess what? Vikander has no chemistry with Hammer, either. The film doesn't even bother trying to set up a love triangle (which would have been more interesting and) just lets all three characters exist in a state of nothingness: none of it rings true.