Posted in: Kaitlyn Booth, Lionsgate, Movies, Review | Tagged: guy ritchie, the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a film elevated above being entirely mediocre thanks to the style of its director and the chemistry of its ensemble cast.
Article Summary
- Guy Ritchie’s vibrant direction & cast chemistry rescue a muddled pace.
- Henry Cavill shines, showing untapped range in an emotive role.
- Thrilling WWII action somewhat stalled by sagging second act.
- Missed historic ties offer a final piece of intrigue.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a weirdly paced but fun little trip through history that is elevated by Guy Ritchie’s signature style and genuine chemistry within the cast.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Summary: The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Is Another Film With Pacing Issues
Sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction. In the case of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, it will likely prompt people who like to know just how much truth there is in a “based on a true story” movie to run to the store and buy the book it is based on because the whole thing is ridiculous. However, it’s absurd in a way that feels extremely real because this is how people act, mostly. After all, this is a Guy Ritchie film, so everything has that added layer of style and snap that only he can bring. You know what you’re getting into with one of his movies, and, in the case of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, it’s another one of his ensemble films where said ensemble really helps elevate some issues one might have with the film.
One of those issues is, as usual, pacing. This seems to be an ongoing problem in films in a post-COVID world where so many of them feel like they are a house of cards and one wrong move will topple the entire thing over. The story is set up for a good three-act structure, yet there are so many moving pieces that the constant cutaways to get everyone where they need to be to make the final act work feels tiresome. Again, truth is stranger than fiction, and the details of this mission were likely a little convoluted and messy, but the second act feels like it goes on forever. It means that the journey to the final parts of the mission goes on so long that the big payoffs for a job well done don’t quite land because we’re coming up on the two-hour mark, time to go.
The Director’s Style And The Cast Make Up For A Lot
It’s a good thing that Ritchie’s style and the ensemble cast make up for a lot of the shortcomings that the pacing and structure cause. During the last CinemaCon, star Henry Cavill spoke about the environment that Ritchie creates on sets, and there is a very good reason that once people work with him once, they work with him again. The cast here looks like they are having a lot of fun on this set and this might be the most emotive we have ever seen Cavill in any role, ever. He also has decent comedic timing, and it’s a shame that people keep typecasting him as a beefy, pretty boy when he has so much more to offer when the right director is involved. Maybe if The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare does well, he can get some more roles, and we can really see his range.
The rest of the cast of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a lot of fun as well. Henry Golding is here just having a blast shooting a bunch of Nazis; Alan Ritchson is proving time and time again that while he might be massive, Reacher isn’t doing massive numbers for no reason. It’s lovely to see Alex Pettyfer in movies again, while Hero Fiennes Tiffin might be the surprise of the bunch. He’s been hanging out in the After films, so this is a massive change for him, and he adapted quite well. While Babs Olusanmokun and Eiza González are both excellent, the cutbacks to their plotline really drag down the pacing, which is a shame because their story is interesting. It also features Cary Elwes as The Nazi That Is Somehow Even Worse Than The Other Nazis.
Some missed opportunities could have been fun to see playing in the background. Ian Fleming, played by Freddie Fox, was involved in the history behind this film, and reportedly, Gus March-Phillips, whom Cavill is playing, served as the inspiration for James Bond. However, they only name-drop Fleming once and don’t do anything with him in the film. We only find out about the Bond trivia at the end of the movie when we see the real-life counterparts and learn more about their accomplishments. It felt weird to acknowledge that we knew he was in this film and then forget about it until the end so the audience could walk away with a piece of trivia that would impress their friends the next time they met for drinks.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a film elevated above being entirely mediocre, thanks to the style of its director and the chemistry of its ensemble cast. The issues are far from dealbreakers, but the film is not anything special either. You get to see a bunch of fun actors kill a bunch of Nazis in creative and often bloody ways. Films like The Zone of Interest made the Nazis feel all too real, while this one elevates them back to cartoonishly evil bad guys where we don’t have to feel bad about them dying. If that’s what you want from a World War II film, you could do worse.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Review by Kaitlyn Booth
6.5/10
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a weirdly paced but fun little trip through history that is elevated by Guy Ritchie’s signature style and genuine chemistry within the cast.
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