‘The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Movie Review: A Mixed Bag Of Clumsy Historical Fun
Photo from Lionsgate
From Joe Peltzer
I’m not even sure that Guy Ritchie sleeps at this point with the number of films he pumps out in what feels like rapid succession (see In the Grey hitting theaters this January). While a frequently fun and bombastic action romp, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is the tale of two films, an inconsistent delivery of a simple story that lacks the third act payoff the audience is built up for.
The film boasts an all-star cast led by Henry Cavill (Gus March-Phillips) and including Eiza González (Marjorie Stewart), Henry Golding (Freddy Alvarez), Babe Olusanmokun (Heron), Alex Pettyfer (Geoffrey Appleyard), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Henry Hayes), and Alan Ritchson (Anders Lassen). Sort of a The Suicide Squad-inspired remix of Tom Cruise’s Valkyrie and Inglorious Bastards, Ungentlemanly Warfare follows the assembled crew on a secret mission to disrupt the supply chain fueling Atlantic submarines and keeping the United States from entering the war. On one hand, you have Cavill and crew making up the nontraditional crew as they voyage by sea undetected to complete their task, and on the other you have González and Olusanmokun attempting to set the state behind the scenes. When focused on the mashup of personalities Cavill’s Gus has assembled, Ritchie’s film is a ton of ridiculous, silly fun. When we shift to scenes of Marjorie and Heron on land, however, Ungentlemanly Warfare slows to a bore.
Cavill and Ritchson are the standouts amongst a talented cast, both clearly having an absolute blast, inviting you to go along for the ride. Cavill is confident and warm in his character’s leadership role while Ritchson is, quite simply, dementedly unhinged… it’s awesome. They bring the humor and the levity, supported by the rest of the crew who are solid in their roles. For Ritchson, this is fun to see. For Cavill, and as a big fan of his, I am beginning to become worried that the more serious, impactful roles will elude him and he will continue to be relegated to fantasy lore or brainless exercises such as this. A special shoutout to Pettyfer who, after a well-documented fallout with Channing Tatum after the first Magic Mike, never really saw his career take off as it should have. Here he delivers a mature, controlled performance that shows the actor has grown up and has a lot to offer.
González and Olusanmokun have fine enough chemistry, their best scenes coming opposite Til Schweiger’s Heinrich Luhr. It’s just that the script lets them down and lacks a punch to keep them interesting. Perhaps that’s what happens with so many screenwriters involved, including Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amal, and Ritchie himself. The concept, inspired by Damien Lewis’ book “Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII,” is presented in a very streamlined, specific manner (focused just on this mission). In fact, the most interesting part of the film comes from the final scenes where (spoiler) Churchill declares the group his own personal crew working for him. Perhaps it’s the humor that takes away from the impact that the story could have had, but the feeling that more depth was there to explore is hard to shake.
Aside from the above, this is a Ritchie film through and through. While there is consistent action and fun times, the scenes around the ultimate goal of the mission fall somewhat flat and leaving you wanting more. It’s well filmed with an almost Michael Bay feel and is complimented by an apt score. One can’t help but wonder how much better each of Ritchie’s films would be if he took more time with each of them, really focusing that inspiration. Instead, we get a lot of popcorn flicks such as this and others that have come before: the forgettable Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre, Wrath of Man, The Gentlemen, and others. For what it is, however, Ungentlemanly Warfare is a fine, fun time that feeds you everything you need to know, allowing you to simply enjoy things that go boom from guys who are totally having fun.
Rating: 3/5
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare hits theaters on April 19th, 2024.
