Movie Review: ‘The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare’

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Review by James Lindorf

After a seven-year hiatus after 2008’s “RocknRolla,” Director Guy Ritchie has been pumping out material that runs the gamut from Disney to the war in Afghanistan. My favorite in the period is 2015’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” his first pairing with former Superman and potential future James Bond, Henry Cavill. The duo is getting back together for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” a new action film that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII. The R-rated ensemble film opens everywhere on April 19th.

Inspired by actual events found in the recently declassified files of the British War Department on Operation Postmaster. It was planned by Churchill and a small group of military officials, including author Ian Fleming, and was to be carried out by a motley crew of rogues. Their mission is unsanctioned and will require unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques to loosen the U-Boat’s control of the Atlantic and turn the tide of the war. The story was adapted by Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, and Guy Ritchie.

Henry Cavill stars as Gus March-Phillips, a disgraced member of the Royal Navy and the perfect man for the job. His team includes the mastermind Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer), explosives expert Freddy Alvarez (Henry Golding), Gus’ right-hand man Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), and weapons expert and all-around manic Anders Lassen (Alan Ritchson). Gus and his team must travel from England to the island nation of Fernando Po off the coast of West Africa. Along the way, they will have to dodge Nazis and the British Navy alike. Setting the groundwork for their arrival in Fernando Po are senior intelligence agent Mr. Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) and rookie agent Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González). Filling out the supporting cast are Cary Elwes as Brigadier Colin “M” Gubbins, Til Schweiger as Heinrich Luhr, and Danny Sapani as Prince Kambili Kalu.

Suppose you asked Chat GPT to describe the quintessential Guy Ritchie film. In that case, there is a strong chance it would come back with a description of “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” An ensemble of fantastic actors with dashing good looks, styled like the cover of a 1940s version of GQ, slinging witty dialogue and participating in top-notch action. It is the style of film that has brought him the most success, from “Snatch” to “The Gentlemen;” he is in an elite class when it comes to this style of direction. Unfortunately, elite does not equal perfection, and for all of its laugh-out-loud moments and bombastic energy, “The Ministry” comes up short this time.

Each of the team members is charismatic, competent, and one-dimensional. We have seen Ritchie take on larger ensembles to greater effect, so I am reluctant to believe that the source of this problem is his inability to get a performance out of the actors or their ability to provide one. The writers have an inconsistent history, but all have created noteworthy projects, most notably “The Fighter.” However, I think their biggest misstep was to approach the battle on two fronts. As shown in the trailer, most of the action and humor does take place with Cavill and his team. Still, it feels like the movie is pretty evenly split between them and the duo of Heron and Marjorie, whose story feels heavy and methodical by comparison.

Their story seems designed chiefly to throw obstacles in Cavill’s way and serve as a reminder that Nazis are evil. While light on intrigue, it provides the story’s most profound character in González’s Marjorie. A descendant of German Jews, Hitler’s first victims, Marjorie is at times witty, flirtatious, tough, scared, and driven by vengeful thoughts. Outside of an inexplicable costume change, Marjorie is the most consistent, well-rounded character and serves as the film’s emotional center. None of the male characters come close to offering what she does; even if they were all combined into one, their personality and motivations wouldn’t reach her level of complexity.

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” may not live up to expectations due to a protracted and overly smooth climax and lack of character development, but it still manages to be a bloody good time. Cavill’s charisma is pouring out of the screen at every moment that isn’t stolen by Alan Ritchson, who may be a revelation for anyone not already watching “Reacher” on Prime Video. González is a delight even if her task feels unnecessary or at least overhyped. Well worth the trip to the theater the film only promises to improve if there is an extended cut when released on DVD. In its current format, “The Ministry” still earns a score of 4 out of 5.

Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writer(s): Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, Guy Ritchie
Distributor: Lionsgate
Production: Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Toff Guy
Theatrical Release Date: April 19th, 2024, Wide
Home Viewing Release Date: TBD