Since this weekend we have the release of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword by acclaimed director Guy Ritchie, I figure I’d shed some light on another one of Ritchie’s movies that he made a couple of years ago, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a movie based on the ’60s TV of the same name. The plot of the show, which is similar in the movie, has CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) team up to stop a mysterious crime organization from getting access to nuclear weapons.

This movie is a really fun and refreshing take on the spy genre. While the plot is kind of generic (Stop a big organization from gaining access to a big weapon), it still knows how to stand out. That’s mostly due to the director Guy Ritchie who brings his classic charm and banter into the screenplay that really helps the movie out. Plus the scenery and visuals in this movie are great and really set up how big the stakes are on their mission.

The thing that glued my eyes to the screen while watching this movie were the awesome action sequences. In the first 30 minutes there are about two big action sequences that not only involve high stakes but even include a bit of humor, with awesome car chase scenes in Italy and even a hand to hand combat scene in a bathroom. Ritchie is able to combine both spectacle and humor into something very enjoyable to watch.

The movie also has a killer cast consisting of Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki, all of which really shine because of their incredible likability and chemistry as they are able to take these characters and run with them.

In the end, The Man From U.N.C.L.E delivers a fun and refreshing take on the old TV while mixing fun action and humor and it makes itself a welcome entry into the spy genre.