The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is based on a true story that happened during World War II, and its events have been declassified since 2016. Now, it’s been adapted into a movie that’s thrilling and funny and acted with a lot of camaraderie in small increments.
However, considering this was directed and co-written by Guy Ritchie and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it’s not quite the exaggerated hoot that some audiences may anticipate, but it still gets the job done.
As mentioned, the movie takes place during World War II, and it centers around Operation Postmaster – or should we say, a highly fictionalized version of the events. Henry Cavill stars as Gus March-Phillips, a rebel who finds a cause when he’s recruited by the British government to lead a team of men behind enemy lines to sabotage the Nazis.
England is losing in their efforts, and so, along with Cavill’s team, which also includes Alan Ritchson and Henry Golding as his fellow renegades, they battle at sea and on land. They combat the Nazis with ridiculous action sequences and expected one-liners. Anytime any combination of actors is on screen, their chemistry works.
Eiza Gonzalez and Babs Olusanmokun costar as a couple of counter-espionage agents who manage to infiltrate one of the Nazis’ locations. Their storyline would’ve worked better as a separate movie.
The movie is advertised as a nonstop, effects-loaded action movie, and when the action takes over, it’s admittedly fun. However, at other times, the movie is content with being straightforward with its war strategy which we’ve seen in a dozen or so war movies.
Ritchie knows how to deliver hyper-stylized action that can be trashy and ludicrously entertaining, such as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. However, with this film, he should’ve gone all the way with something intended to be supercharged. Instead, he shows a fair amount of restraint, and I don’t know whether to praise or bash him for it.
The movie does have some good humor that matches the violence, and you can sense that Cavill and the others deliver their work with gusto and natural ease.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare might not appeal to history buffs or action lovers who expected accuracy or heart-pounding thrills, but it’s effective enough to recommend.
Grade: B
(Rated R for strong violence throughout and some language.)
