I was a die hard U. N. C. L. E fan back in the 60s. Because of Illya I studied Russian for five years and applied to the F. B. I., the closest I figured I could get to U. N. C. L. E.. Yes, the series veered off into "campiness" which was silly fun but at the heart of it was the friendship between Napolean and Illya, the wise guidance of Mr. Waverly, and the concept of good winning out over evil. How to Steal the World, cobbled together from the final two episodes of the series, was a travesty. No fun, no suspense, and a confusing story line that is being delivered by actors who clearly don't care. The sets were horrible, the dialogue horrible, the wardrobe horrible (Illya in a leather bomber jacket?? Really??), what were the producers at the time thinking? Don't sully your fond memories of the tv show, avoid this movie even though TCM thought it worthy.
Review of How to Steal the World
