Main Cast: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson
Director: Guy Ritchie
Over time, I have become a pretty stalwart fan of Guy Ritchie. I don’t love his work without reservation (the early movies weren’t my jam and I tried but failed to like the recent Mobland TV series), but when I’m in the mood for some silly super-violence, he’s my choice.
In The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, he brings his storytelling flare to a true story of a group of WWII….let’s call them patriots. Led by Gus March-Phillips (recruited from prison), this group of highly motivated but generally ungovernable men is assisted by two very suave and capable spies.
Split into two groups, the team sets off on a very dangerous, and likely impossible mission to disrupt the flow of supplies to the German U boats that are crippling the British navy. The result is 122 minutes of gleeful mayhem.
I gather that The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a highly fictionalized account of this mission. Nevertheless, the events did take place, the people did exist, and the outcome is accurate. I don’t know if Ritchie has done a true story before, but the factual substance makes it even more fun.
The two standout performances are Cavill and Ritchson. It takes a brave director to sign Cavill and hide his trademark chiseled jaw under an unkempt beard. But removing that veneer of civility seems to give the actor permission to let loose. He’s very fun, very comically adept, and moderately to severely unhinged. It’s delightful.
Ritchson has personified Reacher so thoroughly that it’s hard to imagine him as anyone else. And while it’s true that he doesn’t stray far from that general behemoth fighter mode, he does get the chance to flex some different acting muscles. His character of Anders Lassen is a member of the Danish merchant navy. Somehow on loan to the Brits? I’m not sure. But Ritchson gets to do some Legolas-level bow and arrow shooting, the required amount of Nazi punching, and quite a bit of goofy tomfoolery. It’s fun to watch.
I give a lot of credit to the whole production of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It’s a fast-paced movie with a lot of typical Ritchie exuberant violence, but manages to convey the seriousness and danger of the mission and the dedication of the participants. Cary Elwes has a great role as a long-suffering general and as always, it’s fun to see Ian Fleming show up as a character. He is said to have based Bond on the men of this mission. If you like Guy Ritchie’s style, this is a great movie. It’s full of action, quirky characters, and a carefully crafted battle between good and evil. I watched it on Netflix – try to catch it before it leaves.
Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills. TV and indie movies are her jam.
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