The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare ★★★

Released: 25th July 2024

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettier, Eiza González, Henry Golding, Babs Olusanmokun

Hot on the heels of World War II drama Operation Mincemeat (and the excellent subsequent west end musical adaptation) comes another peek into the fascinating declassified British Intelligence case files. Inspired by true events and based on Damien Lewis’ book, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare spotlights the early formation of a Special Operatives Executive (SOE) black-ops unit by Winston Churchill as part of the top secret Operation Postmaster.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare follows a ragtag bunch of highly skilled soldiers and daredevils, led by Gus March-Phillipps (Henry Cavill), as they attempt to help sway the course of WWII in Britain’s favour. Formed by Churchill (Rory Kinnear), Brigadier Gubbins (Cary Elwes) and Bond author Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox), the special team are sent to the shores of a Spanish island to execute a politically controversial operation – cut off resources to the German’s U boat’s effort by destroying their supply ships. But if they’re caught by the Nazis, the British intelligence leaders will deny all knowledge of the team, undoubtedly sealing their fates.

Ritchie swaps the drug gangs and countryside manor houses of his excellent Netflix series The Gentleman for another foray into espionage territory following his most recent entry Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and The Man from UNCLE. While this is another solid (and silly) slice of WWII action from the director, it’s very clear to see the Inglorious Bastards influence throughout. And yet, despite several bonkers performances and fun action sequences, it never quite lives up to the heights of Quentin Tarantino’s iconic war flick. Furthermore, while it’s always satisfying witnessing Nazis’ failures, there’s something slightly uncomfortable about the UK’s glorification of WWII films, like it’s the heyday of our nation – an element which is certainly ramped up in this flick.

Still, there’s plenty of charismatic performances to enjoy throughout the ensemble, none more so than Alan Ritchson as the vengeful Dane Anders Lassen, who often gleefully takes out a mountain of Nazis with a multitude of weapons including knives, a semi automatic gun or his trusty bow and arrow. The Reacher star (and his comically teeny tiny glasses) undoubtedly steals the show with his sheer physicality and surprising comedic timing. It’s clear that the moustachioed Henry Cavill is also having a blast as the bonkers March-Phillipps, a wise-cracking, gun toting rogue with a penchant for pilfering the finer things in life, but it’s hard to buy the bad boy shtick throughout. Henry Golding is also rather suave as munitions expert Freddy Alvarez but criminally isn’t afforded much screen time. The groups’ central dynamic is certainly entertaining thanks to a sharp and witty script, with a surprisingly queer overtone in such a testosterone-fuelled flick courtesy of Ritchson’s Lassen.

Ritchie’s signature visual flair (with plenty of stylised montages and quick cuts) is rampant throughout, with several explosive shoot outs and against-all-odds rescue missions to enjoy. A standout opening sequence sees the ragtag band take down a boat load of Nazis while undercover, waiting for Freddy’s delayed explosion to kick in, which the swimmer amusingly leaves right down to the wire.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a solid if somewhat predictable slice of entertaining WWII action from Guy Ritchie, elevated by the central performances and amusing script. However, with such a large ensemble cast to juggle, the overall pacing stumbles as events are pulled from the action of Gus’ merry band to the cat-and-mouse chase of González’ Stewart and Schweiger’s Luhr. Still, this certainly ticks all the boxes to become a dad favourite!