The Man From U.N.C.L.E., based on the television series of the same name, features Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill), a CIA agent and former thief on a mission to recover Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), whose father is a former Nazi researcher who defected to the United States. The story is set in 1963 in East Berlin, and Napoleon quickly discovers that Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), an agent for the KGB, is also after her. After evading Kuryakin, he contacts his superior, Saunders (Jared Harris), and quickly realizes that he will work with Kuryakin, who immediately picks a fight with Solo during their confrontation. The two, and Teller herself, are assigned to stop Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra, who are from a wealthy family that own a major shipping company, from using Teller’s father to obtain their own nuclear weapons.

Of all the elements in the film, one of the most important and noticeable elements is the relationship between Solo and Kuryakin. At first, the two are not compatible, arguing and criticizing with each other at various points in their mission. However, with Teller as a mediator between the two and the cooperation needed for various parts in the movie, the two set aside their differences and past hostilities, even listening to each other’s orders, as shown when the two choose a lock to pick.

The personalities of the two agents are central to the film’s tone and mood. Napoleon Solo is depicted as a poker-faced, calculating individual who occasionally displays a nonchalant attitude, even when he is in a dangerous situation. In fact, Napoleon takes his time investigating and escaping from his enemies, and even takes his time, eating a sandwich and listening to the music, before driving a truck into the water to rescue Kuryakin. Kuryakin contrasts Solo’s personality by having issues in controlling his anger, which sometimes hinders the mission. The fact that the two, despite having incompatible personalities, are put together to cooperate with each other, shows that the film is more complex than it seems.

Overall, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is not just a simple action spy film, but a complex work formed by various elements hidden in the story. The movie, unlike the typical action movie which only features a simple “hero against villain” plot, gives a chance for people to view the story in different perspectives.