Home Movie Reviews ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ – Review
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ – Review

‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ – Review

0

Whenever macho auteur filmmaker Guy Ritchie steps behind the camera it’s a cause for genuine celebration, and he’s dialling up the action and going full-bore at the end of a STEN as he takes audiences back to a daring commando raid that would help to change the course of WWII forever in the riotous fun of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials hatch a daring plan to neutralise Hitler’s fleet of German U-boats during World War II. Made up of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, the top-secret combat unit uses unconventional techniques to battle the Nazis and change the course of the war.

When Guy Ritchie steps behind the camera, you know you’re going to get a hard-charging dose of pure machismo. The latest work from this self-described “cashmere caveman” is a rollicking good bit of fun. Drawing from true historical sources and the clandestine actions of the Special Operations Executive and the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF) in their role in Operation Postmaster, the first-ever Special Forces mission designed to cripple the Nazi U-Boat power and their hold over the Pacific.

From the moment it starts, you know that The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is going to be good. Ritchie brings his unique sense of creativity and play to the picture, and his use of high-powered action mixed in with deft comedic moments will keep audiences on guard. Step by step, the momentum of the picture moves forward at pace.

While watching The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, you feel as if you’re observing a group of modern-day pirates. At the commission of Sir Winston Churchill, they’ve been given the command to “Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.” Ritchie and his cast and crew have a blast with this sensational yet entirely true story of a group of outsiders, reprobates, and insubordinates who, when their country called upon them, stepped up to the call of duty and went all the way to deliver a significant blow to Hitler’s war effort. The film has an almost ‘Spaghetti Western’ vibe to it, but even with its quick-witted characters and outlandish action, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a deeply serious matter. This is a do-or-die mission where only total victory will do.

Taking commando of this unruly group of commando pirates is Henry Cavill in the role of Major Gus March-Phillipps, a wily and clever soldier who is not fond of rules and intends to break them and who will lead the fight into the Valley of the Beast of Operation Postmaster. Cavill is a perfect fit for the sharp and quick-witted March-Phillipps, and he moves quickly to establish his mission, and he’ll go to great lengths to see it completed. It’s fantastic to see Cavill back in league with Ritchie, and the two are having a blast as Cavill is in full hero mode and taking out Nazi’s left, right and centre at the end of a silenced STEN gun. He’s an apt leader for this ‘man on a mission’ picture, and it’s a radically different type of character that allows Cavill to play with his range as an actor and try something new as this almost ‘prototypical’ James Bond-esque spy leader.

Assembled behind Cavil is a whose-who of talent, including Alan Ritchson, Eiza González, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Babs Olusanmokun, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Cary Elwes, Freddie Fox, and Rory Kinnear as Churchill. All of them leave their mark on the picture, and each has their moment to shine, something that Ritchie is good at doing with his characters. Standouts from the cast include Alan Ritchson as the hulking ‘Danish Viking’ Anders Lassen, a deer-hunting, bear-wrestling aristocrat turned Nazi hunter who utilises a bow and arrow and sheer ferocity to take out his sworn enemies. And he’s a hoot to watch. Eiza González brings incredible class and sophistication as SOE agent Marjorie Stewart, who has the task of seducing high-ranking Nazi Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger) and whose mission is a personal one. Henry Golding is a filled pyromaniac glee as explosives expert Freddy Alvarez, and he makes everything go BOOM. Freddie Fox is a deft choice as Ian Fleming, and Rory Kinnear is utterly brilliant as Sir Winston Churchill.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has a swift kinetic pace, and Ritchie clarifies that this is a do-or-die mission. Ritchie keeps things interesting, throwing problem after problem at Cavill’s March-Phillipps and his pirates. This keeps the tension of the picture interesting and gives our heroes some real stakes to go after. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a real throwback to those classic war pictures and action films that we grew up on, and you’re fully invested as an audience member. As the mission to infiltrate the island of Fernando Po draws nearer and nearer, the tautness of the picture escalates, and you’ll be holding on for dear life as these brave men and women go into the fire against a guns-blazing Nazi defence. Hot lead is spent, and things go BOOM very quickly, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a damn explosive narrative to witness.

Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is an epic WWII thriller with all the trimmings, and it will have your adrenal gland working overtime. This is an exciting, daring and clever piece of work, and it is a tribute to the men and women of the SOE who went beyond their duty and whose actions saved our world for good. It’s a truly heroic story in every sense of the word, and in my mind, it is the type of picture audiences desperately need now. It’s fun, zany and utterly adrenaline-soaked, and you’ll have the time of your life watching it.

Image: Prime Video