The Man from UNCLE/Mr. Holmes

I looked forward to seeing The Man From UNCLE as I was a big fan of the original television series.  The adventures of Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kury kin were always a treat to watch and there was great chemistry between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum.

Sadly, the chemistry between the leads in the movie is non-existent and the movie is a complete waste of time.  What was campy and fun on television was simply boring on the big screen.Neither Henry Cavill as Solo and Armie Hammer as Kuryakin captured any of the essential suave, debonair charm of either Robert Vaughn or David McCallum. The story was unremarkable and the direction spotty and uneven - Guy Ritchie usually is much better.I rate this one 1.5 pistols out of 5. Catch the original TV series on Amazon and you'll have a more enjoyable time.

Mr. Holmes is a different story.  No matter which video version of the Holmes stories you prefer (Basil Rathbone through Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey) there is something here for you. It attacks the Holmes canon in a new and different manner as it centers on a retired Holmes circa 1947 wrestling with the affects of age on his once spectacular deductive skills. This take is as different as the Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Young Sherlock Holmes and the current CBS television series Elementary.

Ian McKellan is great as the aging detective trying to remember his final case while wrestling with the early stages of dementia.  He is spurred on by a fan - the young son of his housekeeper, much to the chagrin of the boys mother. The boy is played by a young man named Milo Parker and he too is excellent.

The story is based on Mitch Cullin’s novel “A Slight Trick of the Mind,”  Anyone that enjoys the Holmes canon should  - I think - enjoy this one, especially those of us at retirement age. I rate this one 4.5 meerschaum pipes. Just don't expect to see Holmes in his deerstalker cap.