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

3. Nowhere Near Enough Action

Given the way that Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (and its sequel, Game of Shadows) embraced elaborate action sequences above all else, you might have expected The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to have gone down a similar route. Not so: whilst there are a few action sequences in the film, only one of them is particularly notable - and it's contained within the first ten minutes of the picture. There are two more, one of which - set half-underwater - is slightly artistic in its set-up and features some interesting comic moments, but it's more stationary than you'd expect given that most if it goes on in the background. And the "final" action sequence - an off-road chase scene through woodlands and over mountains - is edited together in a way that makes it almost impossible to see what's going on; quick cuts and blurry camera moves. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. needed a lot more action of the memorable kind, and it seems a tad pathetic that Ritchie only managed to cook up a couple of scenes - none of which you'll recall in much detail once the film is over. Two more action sequences would have given the film a bit of added oomph; instead, Ritchie uses the available screentime in favour of expositional sequences that don't really add much. A sense of the kinetic is sorely missed.