The story behind Guy Ritchie’s newest film, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” sounds like a Quentin Tarantino alternate history movie. Even the poster has strong “Inglorious Basterds” vibes. But this film is based on a true story, as told in Damien Lewis’s book “Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII” based on Operation Postmaster. This secret mission was only declassified in 2016.
When Churchill (Rory Kinnear) realizes that the German U-Boats are preventing the Americans from sending supplies in the war effort, he determines that in order to beat the Nazis, he will need to stoop to their levels. Brigadier Gubbins (Cary Elwes) decided to call in Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) to build a team to disrupt the resupply boat at Fernando Po. Gus tags Anders Lassen (Alan Ritchson), Freddy Alvarez (Henry Golding), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Henry Hayes) and Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer). Meanwhile, Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) and Marjorie Stewart (Eiza Gonzalez) head out on a mission to seduce Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger), an SS Officer in charge of the boat and the resupply.
Despite some moments that drag a bit, this was an entertaining entry in the Guy Ritchie pantheon. The unbridled joy at dispatching Nazis is undeniably fun to watch. And this movie sees the team mow down Nazis with abandon.
Because of the breadth of the cast, it’s hard to pick a standout, but there were a few. Cavill has played a lot of serious characters, and it was a nice change of pace to see him play someone as charismatic as Gus. I also enjoyed Gonzalez in her role. As the lone woman in a sea of men, she manages not to be strictly there for eye candy, instead imbuing her performance with a bit more depth. And Ritchson is absolutely gleeful as he wields his knife on unsuspecting Nazis.
The movie runs right at 2 hours, and it does feel its time. There is attention paid to the detail of the mission, but sometimes, in the desire to thoroughly explain what is going on, the action drags. The movie could stand to lose some exposition here and there to keep audiences engaged, but overall, it’s entertaining.
Mid-budget action movies are fairly hit or miss. Ritchie’s shrewd eye allows this film to soar above others in the genre while maintaining a zany story befitting this style of movie.
The most disappointing part of this movie is that there isn’t more time spent on the action because that is when it really shines. This isn’t a movie that is going to be a big thinker or one that will make you ponder the horrors of war. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” just says Nazis are bad and need to be eradicated. And it does that incredibly effectively.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack
