Henry Cavill’s first spy movie is streaming on Prime Video, and fans say it beats modern Bond

So, Henry Cavill is one of those blokes you look at and think, well, of course he's an action star. It's almost too obvious. Superman, that fella from Mission: Impossible – Fallout, The Witcher, and the rest – by now, he's on just about every major action list. But here's the funny bit: despite all that, Cavill’s proper entry into the world of spy thrillers didn’t come until a decade ago, with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in 2015. Yes, really—he’d done capes and swords before he ever slipped into a suit to play a suave secret agent.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. hit cinemas back in August 2015 and, even after more than a decade, still goes down as one of Cavill’s best turns—especially if you’re watching it now, knowing how massive his career’s got.

You can stream The Man from U.N.C.L.E. right now on Prime Video, alongside half a dozen other Cavill-filled thrillers (and Amazon quietly owns the Bond franchise these days, if you’ve not been keeping score).

Cavill's Unofficial Bond Audition

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is based on the old 1960s telly series, with Cavill as American CIA man Napoleon Solo. He ends up paired with Armie Hammer’s Illya Kuryakin—yes, a KGB agent—because nothing says Cold War nostalgia like throwing the Yanks and Russians together against Nazi sympathisers and nuclear threats. No, it didn’t lead to a franchise, but it absolutely should’ve. Ratings were perfectly decent at the time, but, for whatever reason, the film just slipped off the radar as the years ticked by.

Now, here’s the bit that’s always tickled film fans: this is the performance that sparked all those ‘Should Henry Cavill be James Bond?’ debates. He’s still regularly floated as a top candidate for 007, and if you want to see his “audition tape”, this is it—slick, charming, unflappable, and with a bit more cheeky charisma than Daniel Craig’s broodier Bond.

Beating Bond at His Own Game?

Here’s the twist: since U.N.C.L.E. released, we’ve only had two new Bond outings—Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). Both did alright for themselves with reviews, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone putting them at the top of the all-time Bond list.

A lot of viewers reckon The Man from U.N.C.L.E. actually delivers a more “classic Bond” vibe than those recent 007 films. It’s got the mix right—snappy action, proper humour, stylish fisticuffs, big set-pieces, and all of it drenched in 1960s cool. Compare that with Craig’s Bond, who spends much of his runtime pondering existential dread in gloomy shadows, and Cavill’s U.N.C.L.E. is a breath of fresh, sharply-tailored air. The setting matters: transporting the action to the '60s, with all the period fashion and swagger, genuinely gives it a look and tone modern Bond hasn’t even bothered with for years.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. premiered in August 2015 and is still regularly cited by fans as prime evidence that Cavill deserves a shot at Bond—and as a warning to Amazon MGM to maybe loosen up and take a few stylistic risks next time round.

• Henry Cavill leads as Napoleon Solo, CIA agent
• Armie Hammer co-stars as Illya Kuryakin, KGB operative
• Alicia Vikander takes the role of Gaby Teller, a key ally in the fight against the villains
• Hugh Grant pops up as the bossy Waverly
• Directed by Guy Ritchie—so, expect quick cuts and banter