To succeed among film lovers and to do so in Hollywood are two very different things. For the former, originality, style, and knowledge of the classics are needed, but for the latter, connecting with the general public is essential. And sometimes this second aspect is just as difficult, if not more so, than the first. That’s why we see so few directors adored by cinema lovers who also manage to succeed in Hollywood. For some, it has taken years to get there.
One of those is Guy Ritchie. After spending years making films adored by critics and a certain cinephile audience, he finally found the key that would make him a great mainstream director. That film is none other than The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Released in 2015, the film followed the adventures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, a CIA agent and a KGB agent, who had to stop a Nazi scientist from obtaining the secrets of the nuclear bomb in the midst of the height of the Cold War. Chaotic, insane, and irreverent, the film featured a stellar cast with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer in the leading roles, along with Hugh Grant and Alicia Vikander in supporting roles.
A movie that wasn’t always going to be how it is
The most interesting thing about the movie is that, although it fell into Ritchie’s lap, he was not the original director. Initially, it was going to be directed by Steven Soderbergh with a script by Scott Z. Burns, and its production was scheduled for March 2012. Because Soderbergh believed that the budget of 60 million dollars was too low to replicate the 60s setting, production was halted and he was replaced by Guy Ritchie. Who increased the budget to 75 million dollars because, in fact, the budget was too low.
Even so, the movie did not dominate at the box office. Or not in a way that would consider it a resounding and unquestionable success. Grossing $109.5 million, it had a good box office, but what justifies its continuation is the overall reception: with a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes from 295 reviews, winning two Golden Globes and performing very well in the home format, Guy Ritchie demonstrated that his success with the Sherlock Holmes movies, which was indeed resounding and unquestionable, was in no way a result of chance.
This does not exclude the fact that his career, after The Man from U.N.C.L.E., has been uneven. His next film, King Arthur: Legend of Excalibur, was a resounding failure, and although despised by critics, Aladdin was a wild box office success. Demonstrating consistently good box office results with his subsequent films, all of which focus on what he does best: crime and criminal cinema.
In this way, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. stands out as an absolute rarity in his career. A movie that established him in Hollywood, even if it wasn’t the biggest success of his career. And today you can watch it streaming on Prime Video, from the comfort of your home, to discover why critics and audiences fell in love with this exciting adventure and action movie.
