The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare — A Movie Review

Title: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Year of release: 2024

Runtime: 121 minutes

Cast: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson

Director: Guy Ritchie

There are many movies that deal with the Second World War. Some deal with the subject on a fictional level. Others tell true stories. With The Minstrelsy of Ungentlemanly Warfare, director Guy Ritchie seems to be trying to find a way in between.

Although based on a true story, he stages it so freely that there may not be much left of the original. Let’s see if the movie can convince in the end.

The plot

During World War II, Great Britain is on the verge of defeat against Nazi Germany. The German submarine fleet is too powerful and the Empire is in danger of losing its hold on the high seas. Prime Minister Churchill (Rory Kinnear) resorts to a ruse. A covert, unofficial operation is set up to destroy the supply ship “Duchessa”, which is carrying bombs and fuel.

The unit formed for this purpose, known as the Minitsry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, is led by Major Jones (Henry Cavill), a charismatic and fearless leader. He is assisted by spy Sarah (Eiza González), who is known for her ability to immerse herself in dangerous situations.

The squad consists of a motley crew of specialists, including cynical sniper Frank (Alan Ritchson) and seasoned soldier Harris (Alex Pettyfer). Together, they carry out risky missions behind enemy lines that often violate the conventions of warfare. Their primary goal is to destroy the Duchessa. But it soon becomes clear that the road to that goal is paved with danger.

The cast

It is difficult for me to find the right words to describe the performances of the actors in this movie. In Guy Ritchie’s latest movie, there is unfortunately not a single actor who delivers an outstanding performance.

Sure, the movie wants to be a light popcorn flick. The focus is on the action and not on character development. Nevertheless, the individuals are so interchangeable that it almost detracts from the movie.

The performances of the actors aren’t that bad, either. But they just deliver interchangeable characters who are given little depth. The sad highlight is Winston Churchill, played by Rory Kinnear. He wears such a badly made mask that it is almost impossible to act underneath it. The purpose of the mask is to reflect Churchill’s appearance. Couldn’t they have used an actor who looked more like the British Prime Minister and needed less makeup?

The great role model: Tarantino

There’s no mistaking that Ritchie took his cues from the great master Quentin Tarantino for this movie. When I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought it was a new Tarantino movie. But far from it.

Yes, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has some of the charm that we know from movies like Inglourious Basterds. But in direct comparison to the great original, Ritchie’s work clearly loses out.

I think this is mainly because the movie wanted to tell a true story. Yet, this story has nothing to do with reality anymore. The movie is almost compulsively cool. As a viewer, I didn’t feel the tension that the characters felt during their secret mission. So many things could have gone wrong. Nevertheless, Jones and his team always have everything under control. And so the whole plot becomes irrelevant at some point — precisely because nothing can happen to anyone.

While Tarantino was able to create a certain amount of suspense in every dialog, Ritchie’s film is just visually impressive, but ultimately irrelevant action.

Conclusion

So what can I say about The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare? As a light action movie, the film worked for me. It is far from being outstanding. But I felt entertained.

However, I also see the great potential that Guy Ritchie did not exploit. A movie about a secret special operation in the Second World War could have given the viewer many interesting insights into the action at that time. But Ritchie limits himself to portraying Jones and his colleagues as unbeatable heroes.

What a pity. Therefore, I can only give the movie an average rating.

Rating: 6/10

This review was first published on Medium.com.