Murtada here to praise the images released so far from next weekend's wide release The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer are lookers and judging from the trailer seem to be having fun. It’s Alicia Vikander’s big year and of course she’ll be entertaining. However the most exciting proposition the marketing has offered so far is Elizabeth Debicki as the villain. And her gorgeous costumes.
Debicki is the big baddie of the movie. Her name is Victoria Vinciguerra, the mastermind behind the criminal organization that our spies must stop before she throws the world into calamity. [More...]
A classier Xenia Onatopp with the costumes of Iris Apfel.
Costume designer Joanna Johnston (Lincoln, Death Becomes Her, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation) has put Debicki in turbans, scarves and long flowy caftans. Adorned her hands and face with huge rings, big bauble earrings and long necklaces. It’s a lot of look. But it’s also gorgeous, unique and quite delicious. And Debicki with her tall lithe frame and huge eyes carries everything authoritatively and with confident grandeur.
It’s not surprising that all her roles so far have been period pieces. She takes well to elaborate period specific costumes. Whether The Great Gatsby’s 1920s or 1960s here. And more specifically to haughty glamour. Her costumes tell us she’s a bit dangerous, a bit unreachable whether she’s a successful golfer or a ruthless villain. You might fall in love but you’ll be burned as she always knows just a little bit more.
Could this withholding yet alluring persona be the reason why she hasn’t become bigger as was expected post Gatsby (2013)? She has certainly received her fair share of raves both for that breakout and for her work onstage in The Maids. It’s no easy feat to be declared “best in show” when sharing the stage with with two of the world’s supreme actresses. Next for Debicki are two small parts in this fall’s Everest and Macbeth, let’s hope U.N.C.L.E is the start of a brilliant star-making phase of her career.
Even if U.N.C.L.E. is less fun than it looks, Johnston and Debicki have, at least, already delivered.
What’s your dream role for Debicki?