The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is utterly delightful. Note that word – not thrilling, not pulse-quickening. These are words we use with today’s thrillers. This plays like something Cary Grant would have starred in. With Audrey Hepburn. Yes, I’m thinking Charade. Also How To Steal A Million. The rhythms are those of the 60s. Other words that come to mind – jaunty, classy, sophisticated, charming, lightweight, breezy. So not the usual, in-your-face Guy Ritchie. I wonder who thought this approach would work today, but let’s not complain. And the music – outstanding. As is Elizabeth Debicki, the most deliciously evil villain of the year. I had a whole lot of fun.
Posted in: Cinema: English
Baradwaj Rangan 
MANK
August 30, 2015
Brangan, what the hell is this man. A new section for capsule review??? Is it just one paragraph, or whether the whole piece has not loaded into my system?.
But I agree with you. I loved this film. I was quite shocked with the negative buzz this film was generating. I loved the sixty’s milieu and the sixty’s way of doing a thriller. Yeah charade,from Russia with love, on her Majesty’s secret I service, kaleidoscope, gambit… all those tongue in cheek glossy spy caper films comes to mind. It is really sad that the film flopped at the box office
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Vee Jay Chan
August 30, 2015
Why the review so short ?
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Irfan Syed
August 30, 2015
That was fast, Mr Rangan. Anyway, hope to bump into you some other time, hopefully for a longer rather than a brevi conversation.
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tonks
August 30, 2015
Breviloquent Review
I think I learn one new word (at least) per day from this blog. Someone should suggest making it mandatary in schools 😉
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tonks
August 30, 2015
Seriously though, I really like this spoiler free format, especially when its for something that is getting into your to-see list.
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brangan
August 30, 2015
tonks: Heh. Just following a tradition in these parts of having categories that acronym to “BR.” I’m very modest that way.
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tonks
August 30, 2015
Between Reviews, Bitty Ruminations, Bulletpoint Report, Broad Reflections and now this : you were not kidding about the modesty bit! How come I never noticed till now? 🙂
Suggestion : You should change the Books to Book Reviews and give us some of those 🙂
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brangan
August 30, 2015
tonks: Done. The reviews were sorted under “Books” earlier, but as you say, “Book Reviews” is what the category should be.
About the acronym, I wrote a PPS here 🙂
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Kaaviyathalagani
August 30, 2015
Why the change in layout? We were quite in love with the previous one!
One word that came up along with the most part of your list, was “Suave”.
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tonks
August 30, 2015
Is it only me that has a problem accessing the recent posts and recent comments link in the new lay out?
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Apu
August 30, 2015
This new format is awesome on the iPhone. Never realized that I had a problem reading your reviews on the phone till today when it is beautifully laid out with the photos resolved just right. Thanks!
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cl
August 30, 2015
“Top Posts & Pages” = Most viewed recently ?
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MANK
August 30, 2015
Brangan, where is the list of recent comments and recent posts??
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MANK
August 30, 2015
OK OK got it. Sorry for jumping the gun. You understand how possessive we are about this blog
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the BRangan fan
August 30, 2015
why are u not reviewing hollywood movies nowadays??
please, i am missing it very much
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Hithesh Devasya
August 31, 2015
One Facebook status/3 tweet review format.
Saarukku, one vlog coming up soon.
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aneek
August 31, 2015
this movie deserved anything but a breviloquent review!!!!!! disappointed.
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Ram Murali
September 1, 2015
BR, how about breviloquent reviews for classics like your favorite “Mann Vaasanai” or overlooked films (to borrow Roger Ebert’s term) like my favorite “Sigaram?” That would be one helluva way to spark off a wave of nostalgia with 1 paragraph and let us commenters do the rest! Your review, even if just 1-para, of… say, a “Raja Paarvai.” Wouldn’t that be something to savor?
I even have the acronym ready for you: BRBR – Baradwaj Rangan’s Breviloquent Rewind
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newbie
September 2, 2015
Nice review. Thinking about the word ‘breviloquent’ though… is it a bit of an oxymoron that such a grand word can be used to mean ‘brief’ (when the word ‘brief’ itself perfectly fits the bill)? For want of a better phrase, to me the word ‘breviloquent’ sounds a bit grandiloquent. It would be nice to understand what made you choose this particular word…
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AlterEgO (@skc89)
September 3, 2015
Agree to the review. Loved the movie. Uncle i felt is the best spy movie this year, hilarious and always entertaining, better than Rough nation and Kingsmen. Though liked both. Guy Ritchie does a great job with set pieces as always, the pacing of the film was great and the RD burmanish soundtrack was retro cool.
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bart
September 26, 2015
Caught up today. I second your last sentence..
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newbie
March 9, 2016
Watched this movie finally last night. Sigh – it was all going swimmingly well, and I too like everyone else here was enjoying this stylish movie – until the shocker came that is – no not the one where Alicia’s character was revealed as a spy, no no. But the one where a weathered Hugh Grant was brought into screen as an MI6 operative or whatever. I don’t mean he ruined the role or the movie, no he was quite good. In fact to his credit, his performance was (in hindsight) very charming, even scene-stealing compared with that of the lead actors. My initial reaction though couldn’t be more different – with hands flying to cheeks and mouth making an ‘O’ not unlike the ‘Scream’ portrait. I don’t suppose I could explain it eloquently, but seeing him in that role meant the end of a certain era of Hugh-Grant-ness to me. One in which he was the epitome of floppy-haired, charming, bumbling, goofy, awkward-stumbling-speech-making romantic heroes to me. Even in movies like Maurice or Sense and Sensibility, his performance was so tender, so restrained and so fine. Of late, he had gone a bit rogue in the Bridget Jones movies, he was still a very very loveable rogue. Heck, I didn’t even know it would bother me so much. I don’t particularly care if he didn’t get to explore his range much as an actor so far because he what did do, he has done so well that I don’t know of any other actor who can fill in the void he has left.
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abishekspeare
July 17, 2020
BR:”Just following a tradition in these parts of having categories that acronym to BR. I’m very modest that way.”
then why is it Readers Write In and not something like “By Readers”?
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