Review: The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Discover The First Special Forces Mission In History.
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.
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THE PLOT
Via Letterboxd: In 1940, Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming form a clandestine combat organization for Britain’s military that changes the course of World War II and prefigures the modern black ops unit through its unconventional and entirely ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques against the Nazis.
QUICK REVIEW
Guy Ritchie has had a very interesting filmography as a director. Ritchie’s style and aesthetic can vary wildly in his films as well. One film can be presented as a straight forward drama with grounded characters, and the other can be a fun time at the movies anchored by an eccentric cast of characters that leave an impression. From trying his hand at serious dramas to comedies to even directing an animated Disney movie’s live action remake. With such an eclectic catalog of films, it won’t surprise you to learn I find the man’s output to very on and off. Of late I actually loved 2019’s Aladdin, had loads of fun with 2020’s The Gentlemen, found last year’s Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre to be a decent watch, was lukewarm on 2021’s Man Of Wrath and last year’s The Covenant, and outright disliked 2017’s King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword.
Now he brings us his own spin on Inglourious Basterds with The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is actually based on a real-life group of covert heroes for the British during World War II. But instead of just telling us a straight forward tale of history, Ritchie chooses to present this as one of his more fun, audience-friendly popcorn flicks with those eccentric characters that I mentioned earlier.
With no tack on how he portrays these real life people, he gives us an ensemble of quick-witted and blood thirsty protagonists who each have their own special skill. This makes these characters a lot of fun to follow but it does come at the expense of having them to be more rounded out and filled out as people we can relate to. Nevertheless the cast is clearly having a blast with their roles as Nazi hunters particularly Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson. And there’s also an impressive turn from Eiza Gonzalez who actually made me buy her as a British spy. And as an amateur historian, I did get a kick out of seeing the portrayals of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and James Bond 007 author Ian Fleming among all the chaos.
The humor is really going to hit with you depending on whether Ritchie’s more eccentric movies are your cup of tea. If they’re not, then you might struggle being on the same wavelength as this one. If they are, you should have as much fun at the movies as I did. The action is in your face and pretty violent, though not quite as gnarly as what we got from Monkey Man a few weeks back. The soundtrack to the movie is pretty impressive, though not necessarily a stand out either.
This isn’t quite the feat of Tarantino’s take on Nazi hunting and it certainly isn’t to the quality of that highly revered film. But it should serve a s fun popcorn flick for the casual movie go-er. While I wouldn’t rank it among his top-tier of films, I did have plenty fun with The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare for what it was. So I came away giving it an initial grade of B+. If you want to watch some twisted dark comedic Nazi hunting, this is the movie for you.
INTIAL GRADING
