“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” is rather a premature title for the new Guy Ritchie-Lionel Wigram spy comedy, but “To Trap A Spy,” (the original pilot for the TV series) was already taken.

The Ritchie-Wigram “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is based on the characters of the series, providing a back story to the teaming of American CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) with Russian KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), told with humor, classic espionage antics and the expected chase scene — or two — or three.

Before being recruited by the CIA, Solo served in the U.S. military from the age of 18. At the end of World War II, he stays on in Germany, becoming an accomplished thief of prized art and jewels. He becomes so artful that a special task force is created to apprehend him. Eventually he's caught, but the CIA steps in to put his skill set to better use.

The film takes place during the Cold War in 1963. It begins in Berlin (east German side). Gabriella “Gaby” Teller (Alicia Vikander) is a car mechanic working at a garage/chop shop. Solo's mission for the CIA involves recruiting Gaby's help in finding her long estranged father, Dr. Udo Teller, a former rocket scientist who also worked for Hitler, and who then worked for the U.S.

Teller has been missing for quite some time and the U.S. (and Russia) suspect a rogue international organization has kidnapped Dr. Teller.

Solo offers Gaby safety through compliance, unless she'd rather stay behind and end up in a Russian prison. Oh, and by the way, they are being watched at that very moment. Tick-tock, Gaby, tick-tock.

Cue the first chase scene, a taut and high energy one at that. But who is pursuing Solo and Gaby with such tenacity? And did this man actually just pull off the trunk of the escape car with his bare hands? This scene is used as a vehicle to introduce the pair (and the audience) to Kuryakin.

Where Solo is composed, well dressed, articulate and womanizing; Kuryakin is (evidently) strong, but quick tempered, strong-willed and intense — and then there's his history of psychotic episodes and anger issues. Both men are well educated and both are former members of the military in their respective countries. Sounds like the perfect team, right?

Well, that's what the U.S. and Russia thought too.

Cover identities are created: Gaby and Kuryakin pose as a newly engaged couple (he's an architect), a plausible reason for Gaby's decision to visit her Uncle Rudy (Sylvester Groth) in Rome, an uncle she has not seen in several years. Uncle Rudy works for a shipping company owned by Nazi sympathizers Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra, but it is Victoria who runs the show.

Napoleon is antiquities dealer whose mission is to infiltrate the shipping company and get on Victoria's, um, “good side.”

Be warned: Uncle Rudy will give you the creeps before he says one word. And his “creep factor” increases with each passing scene. Groth turns out an alarmingly fantastic freaky performance.

Spoiler: Turns out, one of Uncle Rudy's nicknames is “Dr. Death.” Victoria is the head of the organization that has kidnapped Dr. Teller for the purposes suspected by the U.S. and Russia: to gain all of Teller's knowledge about bomb building, and to build not one, but many bombs to be sold to any interested party.

This film has some fun scenes, such as the shopping trip to turn Gaby into an architect's, no, make that, Illya's woman. Solo starts out as her personal shopper, but his style is not Illya's. In fact, Illya announces, “My woman would not dress like that.”

Let's just say it turns out the Russian has better taste in dressing a young woman than the debonair fashion statement Solo.

Another great scene happens during the first night in the hotel in Rome, before seeing dear old Uncle Rudy. Gaby tips a few too many vodkas (like a fifth). Displeased that her “fiancé” will not join her in a drink, preferring to work out chess strategies, she turns on the radio, cranks up Solomon Burke's “Cry to Me,” and begins a fun dance in sunglasses (yeah, kinda “Risky Business”-esque, but just for a few seconds).

Later she tries to teach him to dance, while tenderness and amusement flicker alternately in his eyes and turn up the corners of his lips. So, so groovy.

This film is deliciously ’60s. From the costuming, hair and makeup to the sports cars and the distinctive ’60s vibe soundtrack. And this isn't a soundtrack of tunes from U.S. AM radio stations, oh no, this is ’60s a la continental, baby.

Some action scenes are delivered in multiple frames on the screen, which is kind of cool; maybe that technique was part of the experimental movie making techniques that stemmed from the decade. It was a great way to get the action across without belaboring it.

There is plenty of repartee delivered by characters in some really great period clothes, like Gaby's bright orange print shift, set off with mod jewelry, double white plasticized rings hanging from her lobes. And, Victoria's killer sexy wardrobe is very Jill St. John meets “Honey West.”

The attention to detail — right down to the props — is aces. For example, the camera pans over to Victoria talking on a phone — with the rotary dial on the bottom! I'd forgotten all about those! Definitely brought a broad smile to this aging gal's face. 

In the TV series, Solo was the sexy one, but in this film, Solo may be debonair, but when it comes to sexy, Hammer nails it. (Pun very much intended.)

At the end of the film, Mr. Waverly (Hugh Grant), a British agent, announces that the U.S. and Russia have decided to keep the cozy trio together (Solo, Kuryakin and Teller) and that their code name is U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law Enforcement).

Their next assignment: Fly to exotic Istanbul.

Whether or not director/co-screenwriter Ritchie intends this to be the lead in to a sequel, his prequel is a trip in itself.

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” opens at The Harbor Theatre on Friday. Shows are at 7 p.m. Sept. 4-6 and 9 and 10. The theater, at 185 Townsend Avenue, is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

For more information, call 207-633-0438 or visit www.harbortheatre.net.