In Guy Ritche's newest film, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. , stars Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki both portray some of the strongest HBIC characters seen in the action genre in a while — sure, they're both HBIC characters in different ways, but totally HBIC nonetheless. The film, which is a modernized take on the '60s-era television series of the same name, follows an American spy named Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and a KGB agent named Ilya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) as they're forced to team up to save the world from impending doom during the Cold War. But, after watching it, it's clear that Vikander's Gaby Teller and Debicki's Victoria Vinciguerra are the ones truly running the show. Both, of course, have their own motives: Gaby, not one to trust anyone, keeps hers to herself and herself only, while Victoria's are purely self-serving (and, for lack of a better word, evil). Still, though, the juxtaposition results in a spectacular display of women kicking ass and getting stuff done when the guys — though productive in their own ways — are busy buttting heads over their mutual dislike of one another and resistance to their growing bromance.
The film is classic Ritchie — something that, as Vikander and Debicki told me when I sat down with them to talk about the film, drew both of them to the film, along with the opportunity to play strong, developed female characters in a genre that unfortunately hasn't made nearly enough room for them.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. hits theaters nationwide on August 14. Check out the film's stars, Vikander and Debicki, talking feminism in spy films, how Debicki had a hand in crafting the Victoria we see on the screen, and how this movie totally belongs to the women below.
Image: Tanya Ghahremani/YouTube
