The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Starring: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza Gonzalez, Babs Olusanmokun, Cary Elwes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding, Rory Kinnear, Til Schweiger, Freddie Fox, James Wilby
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy, War
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Loosely based on true events, a small band of elite soldiers are recruited by England during World War II to cripple the Germans' ability to wage warfare in the Atlantic.

Review:

Tim: Guy Ritchie feels like one of the more consistent directors working today. You pretty much know exactly what he's going to deliver. It's never bad, and only very rarely great. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare falls directly in that category. This is a good movie that's wildly entertaining and fun. However, it all feels a bit too inconsequential. Now, I liked the movie and I've recommended it to others, even as I acknowledge some of the flaws with it.

First off, the film advertises as "based on a true story", but extremely loosely inspired by a true story might be more accurate. Ritchie sets out to make a film that's fun and entertaining and has zero qualms with a heavily fictionalized account of real events. There's nothing in this film that feels remotely authentic or accurate. I appreciate Ritchie going full in on this- he's clearly not making something that could be misconstrued as a documentary. Reality is secondary here. This does indeed result in a wildly entertaining film. I had more fun watching this movie than most in 2024. It's so much fun to see these larger-than-life characters engage in war-related shenanigans, charismatic as hell, humorous, cool under fire. The film has all the trademarks of the better Ritchie films and it's willing to sacrifice believability and realism to get there. It's not a bad tradeoff. The one issue it creates is that there's never any legitimate suspense here. This is a war story told from a "boys' adventure" vantage point. The whole thing is to entertain you, not to create any real suspense or thrills. It's great fun, but it always feels a bit too safe and predictable. The bad guys will win, the dumb NAZIs will lose. I do wish Ritchie had created a tiny bit more realism, which might have afforded a bit more of a compelling narrative.

The cast is definitely solid. Henry Cavill shines in the lead role. This is exactly the kind of role he's perfect for. I hope he finds great roles like this that leverage all his strengths. It's a better role than in Guy Ritchie's disappointing The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and nearly indescribably better than Cavill's awful role in the terrible Argylle. This is exactly what Cavill needs to be doing. He's glorious in the role- funny, charming, entertaining. We want him to succeed and we want to see him having fun while doing it. I thought Alan Ritchson made a great supporting partner for Cavill. I know Ritchson is blowing up because of his work on Reacher (I haven't watched) and I can see why he was right for that role. His presence is large and I don't just mean physically. He's exceptionally entertaining in this role.

I liked seeing Alex Peffyfer here, I didn't recognize him at first. His performance is filled with energy and charisma as well. I also loved seeing Henry Golding, although I do wish he had a more substantial role. He's a good actor and could easily have taken on more. I thought Eiza Gonzalez was decent. Her subplot with Babs Olusanmokun has its moments, but it's not as compelling as the main narrative. There's great sequences involved, but the movie slowed down a bit whenever she came on screen. I'm not sure she'll ever be a great actress, but she did good work here. The same can be said for Olusanmokun. I always love seeing Cary Elwes, but I was a little sad with how minuscule his role was. I don't believe Rory Kinnear made a compelling or realistic Churchill. I just never bought his performance. Now, I have to pay so much respect to Til Schweiger. He is absolutely perfect as the main antagonist in the film. His performance is so chilling, so over-the-top wonderful, he totally steals every scene he's in. I admit I forgot about Schweiger to some extent- his career should have been bigger. He's excellent here and a formidable villain.

Ritchie's war movie follows the normal path of several of his heist films. This really does feel like a war heist film, although it's sabotage verses theft (although theft is definitely involved). There's well-laid plans, those plans fall apart, and the team needs to improvise. It's all exciting and funny and well worth watching. Ritchie films the dialogue fast-paced, there's plenty of explosions, and a good deal of humor. He juggles all these various aspects quite well. The move might be a tad long at 2 hours, 2 minutes, but it never drags very long in any one place. I do wish the movie felt a bit less predictable- it's all great fun, but we know exactly where the movie's going. That does hurt the film some- it's a good movie, but it ultimately feels like there's so much style and not quite enough substance. I'd actually watch the movie again, happily, but it's hard for it not to feel like empty calories. That being said, entertainment is entertainment and Ritchie delivers another good film. This movie won't change your life or your mind, but it'll allow you to sit back and have fun for two hours. And, that's a win.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Inglourious Basterds, The Gentlemen