“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” stars Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, Henrique Zaga, Til Schweiger, Henry Golding, and Cary Elwes. Releasing on April 19, 2024, the film depicts the Special Operations Executive and their war against the Nazis during World War II. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie, who also directed films such as “Snatch”, “Sherlock Holmes”, “The Gentlemen”, and “Wrath of Man”. It is based on the 2014 book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by Damien Lewis. The Black Ops have been known for their secrecy and performance under our radar. However, its unattributed association with any organization gives this covert operation the advantage of deceiving its enemies. But how did this secretive operation come to be, you may ask? Well, it all started back in the 1940s, when a British organization performed a seemingly impossible task to sabotage the dreadful Nazis. This crucial part of Britain’s war against Nazi Germany gave birth to modern-day black operations and irregular warfare, and now it’s been turned into an action comedy led by Guy Ritchie and Superman himself, Henry Cavill. This film seeks to attract more audiences seeking R-rated fun outside the horror genre, especially those familiar with Ritchie’s stylized and fast-paced presentation. Does it deliver another offbeat shoot-em-up worthy of the big-screen treatment? Let’s find out. The story is a heavily fictionalized depiction of Operation Postmaster, a British special operation during the Second World War. It was conducted by the Special Operations Executive, a covert organization formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to perform espionage and sabotage in Nazi-occupied Europe. To combat the Nazis, the SOE conjured up a solution to gain the upper hand: hiring a group of highly-skilled soldiers outside its premises, including Gus March-Phillipps (Cavill). Known as the Small Scale Raiding Force, Gus and his team, including Marjorie Stewart (Gonzalez) and Anders Lassen (Ritchson), are tasked to invade enemy territory and sabotage the Nazis’ plot for world domination. Unsurprisingly, any movie directed by Ritchie will always spark my interest, with this film being one of them. Some of his recent movies didn’t impress me as much as everyone else regarding their executions. However, a few of his films have made me admire his unique presentation and British humor, including “The Gentlemen” and “The Covenant”, which I thought was one of his best in recent memory. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” looks to be another Ritchie movie seeking to deliver the fun and high-octane energy from its action and comedy aspects as shown in the marketing. In short, it’d be more like “The Gentlemen” than “Wrath of Man” and “The Covenant”. After watching the film early, thanks to its advanced screening, I’m pleased to say I was right. It’s no crowned jewel of war movies or even spy films in general, but the film proves that Guy Ritchie hasn’t lost his touch regarding his approach to popcorn entertainment. If you’re going into “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” expecting it to be a groundbreaking and serious fact-based action drama, you’ll quickly be disappointed with the result. Besides, Ritchie already made a dramatic action movie last year, so I don’t think he needs to take that approach twice in a row. Instead, the film is a straightforward, action-packed shoot-em-up that also functions as a race-against-the-clock boat trip to Nazi territory. Of course, since this is a Guy Ritchie movie, it’s not without a few instances of charisma-driven British humor to liven up its tone amid its adult-rated violence. If you come to this film for that, I will gladly say that “Ungentlemanly Warfare” will satisfy your needs. While specific plot and character moments felt lost underneath its colorful carnage, it easily compensates for it by delivering a healthy dose of entertainment and energy in its storytelling, direction, and cast. I know I've been saying this a lot, but Guy Ritchie is a solid filmmaker with an innate understanding of making fun, stylish movies. His style, writing skills, and tone perfectly align with his vision, providing a unique and captivating flavor to the action and spy genres. Despite the occasional hit-or-miss narratives, Ritchie's films are irresistibly charming and vibrant, making for exciting and engaging cinematic experiences. “Ungentlemanly Warfare” is no exception, with Ritchie incorporating his usual fast-cutting technique and energetic presentation into its 1940s production design and action sequences. As a result, it delivered some brutal yet satisfying instances of violence and a suitably paced spy adventure where each character plays a role in carrying its weight. This includes the humor and the chemistry between the cast, both of which successfully shoot down its naysayers, like how Henry Cavill shoots down the Nazis, with the comedy providing some delightful laughs through its dialogue. Henry Cavill has been working nonstop to make himself known outside the DC universe, and I don’t blame him. Some of his non-Superman roles were decent at best, including Agent Argylle in the recently released “Argylle”, but sadly, he has yet to truly shine regarding his box office returns outside the DC Cinematic Universe. Based on what I saw from “Ungentlemanly Warfare”, I really hope his role will break that losing streak. Cavill’s take on Gus March-Phillipps was a joy to witness on screen, not just because of his distinctive performance. It’s also due to Cavill’s charm and radiant appeal that made Gus a stimulating protagonist who shoots first and obeys orders never. He may be serviceable as a dramatic Superman, but when it comes to his light-hearted and comical roles like Gus, Henry Cavill is a real-life superhero we didn’t know we needed. Alan Ritchson also continues to deliver the goods in the action department regarding his role as Anders Lassen. His scenes involving his bow and arrow were surprisingly impressive. It’s as if Robin Hood was a sniper in World War II instead of leading his band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest. Eiza González was also decent as Marjorie Stewart, an SOE agent sent undercover in a Nazi-occupied area. Even though Marjorie’s scenes without Gus’s gang were a bit concerning at first regarding the pacing, González managed to surprise me with her attempt to drive these scenes through her performance and her character’s significance to the mission. Overall, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” doesn’t provide many gentlemanly affairs, and it’s all the better because of it. It may not break any barriers in the action and spy genres regarding its simplistic narrative and straightforward characters. However, when it comes to Guy Ritchie himself, it hardly needs to. This is another stylish and entertaining action comedy that benefitted from Ritchie’s energetic vision and colorful cast of characters, which is enough to satisfy the director’s fans and the Nazi haters. With its charismatic cast, dynamic presentation, and action sequences exciting enough to carry a flawed yet serviceable story, the movie is a war-infested blast from start to finish. B-
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