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The Man From UNCLE movie

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Tiki Tom, there was a tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it snippet of the original theme music in the film. Watch the scene at the plant, with Solo in the truck. He punches first one radio button, then another, and on the third we get about 2 seconds of the original theme. Not much, but it was something!

I missed that, but that was a very, very good scene. It could have gone too far, been too goofy, but somehow they knew where the line was, went right up to it, but didn't cross it.
 

Tiki Tom

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I will indeed re-watch it just for that. By the way, that "Solo in the truck" scene inspired my wife to say "Aha! Now I see where Tom got it from." (Appreciation of fine wine and food while watching friend get chased back-and-forth across the harbor.)
 

Benzadmiral

Call Me a Cab
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I missed that, but that was a very, very good scene. It could have gone too far, been too goofy, but somehow they knew where the line was, went right up to it, but didn't cross it.
When I first watched it in the theatre, I thought it was a bit over the line, like a similar scene in "The Dippy Blonde Affair." But in viewing it again, I see you're right; it's the correct length and is not over-the-top.
 
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I've only seen it once, but my guess is I'm going to enjoy more the second time as the pressure is off the film, I can enjoy it for its style more and catch things that I missed the first time - just my guess.
 

emigran

Practically Family
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Saw it last night... Total 60's cheeky, campy , kitschy... a no excuse made for fun movie...great filming ( use of split screen was fun) Not a thought proving Oscar winner but ... quite good ...
 

Benzadmiral

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Saw it last night... Total 60's cheeky, campy , kitschy... a no excuse made for fun movie...great filming ( use of split screen was fun) Not a thought proving Oscar winner but ... quite good ...
It's not The Apartment or Ben-Hur or To Kill a Mockingbird, no. But then the original series was not The Fugitive or Playhouse 90, either. The film was supposed to be fun; and most people I've spoken with who've seen it say it was.
 

MisterCairo

I'll Lock Up
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Gads Hill, Ontario
It's not The Apartment or Ben-Hur or To Kill a Mockingbird, no. But then the original series was not The Fugitive or Playhouse 90, either. The film was supposed to be fun; and most people I've spoken with who've seen it say it was.

A lot of fun. Each of the three mains plays it up just enough. And Jared Harris as the uptight, Ah-murikuhn, leader, priceless!
 

Worf

I'll Lock Up
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Troy, New York, USA
I've only seen it once, but my guess is I'm going to enjoy more the second time as the pressure is off the film, I can enjoy it for its style more and catch things that I missed the first time - just my guess.
You're right, I just watched it a second time on HBO tonight. When I first saw it I was completely "underwhelmed", tonight was a different story altogether. Puddin' LOVED it! Thought it was fast, funny and just right. She still misses David McCallum BUT she thought Armie was all right I suppose. I enjoyed it much more this time round.

Worf
 
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You're right, I just watched it a second time on HBO tonight. When I first saw it I was completely "underwhelmed", tonight was a different story altogether. Puddin' LOVED it! Thought it was fast, funny and just right. She still misses David McCallum BUT she thought Armie was all right I suppose. I enjoyed it much more this time round.

Worf

I caught twenty minutes of it on cable the other day and really enjoyed it and that made me want to see it again from the beginning. Since I'm now past having to think about the plot and past comparing it to the original, I can enjoy it for its two best part - style and fun character interactions. They actors, sets, clothes and cars are a treat to see and their playful banter and just-a-bit tongue-in-cheek approach strike the right balance between seriousness and parody.
 

Benzadmiral

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Fading Fast wrote, ". . . [the actors'] playful banter and just-a-bit tongue-in-cheek approach strike the right balance between seriousness and parody."

Which captures the tone of the original at its best. It's different from the TV series . . . but not that different at the core.
 

Benzadmiral

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Benzadmiral

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I agree with everything and they should have mentioned the brilliant insouciance of the boat chase scene - I smile just thinking about it.
You're not going to believe this of me, but I don't have a copy of the DVD yet.

Yes. It's true. I've been debating whether to replace my 1996 TV and 2005 DVD player with more modern units, including a Blu-Ray player, and so I've held off on buying the Blu-Ray of the movie. I know the boat chase scene you mention. But I'm unclear what scene the writer of the SyFy piece meant when she writes about Solo and Illya, "two men over 6 feet tall argu[ing] over women's fashions[.]" (It doesn't matter; it captured the spirit of the original, I know.)
 
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You're not going to believe this of me, but I don't have a copy of the DVD yet.

Yes. It's true. I've been debating whether to replace my 1996 TV and 2005 DVD player with more modern units, including a Blu-Ray player, and so I've held off on buying the Blu-Ray of the movie. I know the boat chase scene you mention. But I'm unclear what scene the writer of the SyFy piece meant when she writes about Solo and Illya, "two men over 6 feet tall argu[ing] over women's fashions[.]" (It doesn't matter; it captured the spirit of the original, I know.)

I not sure, but seem to remember those two discussing Gaby's clothes at one point with her not in the room - but I also might have convinced myself of that as I'm not at all sure it happened.

We no longer buy movies as we found the we rarely watched them but, oddly, would watch the exact ones we owned when they came on TCM or some other channel. Also, we found that almost always we could find a movie we wanted somewhere - especially now with Netflix and Amazon Prime - or it would pop up within a few months of thinking about it and, that, actually made us more excited about it.

Even if we pay some "rent on line" fees - which, so far, we haven't - it will still be cheaper than owning. That said, for years we bought to build a "collection," so I completely understand the logic and desire - it makes sense, just not where we are now.

I'm not hopefully a sequel is coming for TMFU as the article notes, the stars' careers seem to have moved away and the original didn't make a killer amount of money. All that said, I really enjoyed it and have enjoyed seeing it in full or parts since - which is the sign, for me, that I really like a movie.
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
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7,562
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Australia
I saw it the other day. It was engaging, witty and inventive. I was surprised, because all the other films spun from TV shows have been, to my idea, complete dreck.
 

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