The Spy with My Face

I grew up in the 1960s and the man from U. N. C. L. E was one of my favourite TV shows. Not meant to be comedies but now watching in my late 60s I can see it is very tongue in cheek. As was the Batman and Robin series around the same time. What's so refreshing to watch is that like the James Bond films at the time there is no PC around how women are attracted to Napoleon Solo. Love the ridiculous storyline and how the test to distinguish the real one is by a snog. Really good to watch from the point of view of how the 1960s were and filmmakers didn't feel the need to have a credible plot. Don't take it too seriously.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

THRUSH kidnaps Napoleon Solo (Vaughn) and replaces him with a double in order to infiltrate a secret UNCLE operation called 'The August Affair', which will enable them to get their hands on 'Project Earthsave', an intense energy force that is being stored for use in the event of attacks from outer space. Such a weapon could give THRUSH what it always wanted - control of the world!

THE SPY WITH MY FACE was the second spin-off movie from the popular MAN FROM UNCLE spy series. It is an extended version of a season one episode called 'The Double Affair' (originally broadcast 17/11/64) and contains additional footage that was considered too risqué for television. For example the scene where Vaughn takes a shower with Senta Berger and Vaughn in bed with Sharon Farrell. The opening sequence where UNCLE invade THRUSH headquarters Australia was also an extra scene that didn't feature in the TV original.

THE SPY WITH MY FACE is one of the best of the UNCLE films in that it's slickly produced and stands up as a time capsule of it's era, the 1960's when spy thrillers were all the rage. Series regulars Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo, David McCallam as Illya Kuriyakin and Leo G Carroll as Mr Waverly are a joy to watch as always.

U. N. C. L. E. Agents Solo and Kuryakin fly to Switzerland guarding the combination to a vault containing the world's most deadly nuclear weapon. In a desperate plot to use the weapon for their own evil purposes, T. H. R. U. S. H. has turned a man into Solo's exact double by means of plastic surgery. The counterfeit Solo is so convincing that even Illya is taken in ...

You get two Napoleon Solos for the price of one - one of them is an imposter, and does a good job fooling the UNCLE agents. And you wonder when he's going to get caught out. This forms part of the interesting plot, and it's not just enjoyable, but has some good suspense. There's a good motorbike chase sequence which leads up to the confrontation between Solo and his doppelgänger. Santa Berger and Sharon Farrell sizzle. Used to watch this a lot as a kid on BBC2 in the 80's, and I just wanted to be Napoleon Solo!!

There is a scene when the real Napoleon Solo gets a very sexy massage from a character named Nina, played by Donna Michelle, that's the coolest scene in the whole movie. I would have preferred an identical double look-alike of Nina to be made by those from T. H. R. U. S. H. and somehow sent to me. OK, the movie isn't bad, you can watch it, you got my approval, if you put a yellow triangle-shaped card on your chest to give the impression that you are working yourself for U. N. C. L. E.

At 71, I frequently turn on TCM overnight, as the audio from old movies helps me sleep. However, this one woke me up. I saw McCallum and Vaughn and Carroll, and thought, "Oh, UNCLE." But the more I watched, the more it looked like a poor imitation of the original TV show.

As a kid with a motorcycle growing up in SoCal, the location and effect flaws were obvious. I know the Swiss mountains don't look like the barren California coast range. The likelihood of a Corvair convertible being a common Swiss vehicle is nil. And the blowing up effect of the Griffith Observatory is laughable. There's so much more to critique, as it appears that the budget was largely invested in talent, leaving nothing for anything else.

Those die-hard UNCLE fans will probably enjoy this one. It's not terrible, I've seen worse, but it's not so bad that it's good. I had no previous expectations since it snuck up on me while asleep, but I know seeing it once is enough.

I gotta quit leaving TCM on at night!