‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ movie review: Guy Ritchie’s brilliantly bombastic Nazi-slaughter spectacle

A scene from ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/Lionsgate Movies

Guy Ritchie’s latest World War II action film doesn’t just demand our suspension of historical disbelief, but rather, demands the fullest extent of period accuracy. Based on the true events of an “unsanctioned, unauthorized and unofficial suicide mission” called Operation Postmaster, the film teeters on the brink of farce and absurdity, though it’s more effective than expected.

The secret mission is simple: blow up Nazi supply ships for Nazi submarines so Uncle Sam can invade and save Queen and country from the imminent clutches of Herr Fuhrer. This real-life wartime incident, which sounds too daring to be true, was a British Commando raid in which a group of intrepid operatives plundered Axis ships right under the Nazis’ noses. The secret mission took place in the dark of night on the sleepy Spanish island of Fernando Po, where our eponymous daredevil crew, armed more with guts than gear, pulled off the biggest heist of the century.

Ritchie has used World War II as a canvas for his signature blend of less serious and more dynamic action and witty dialogue. At the center of it all is a remarkably charming Henry Cavill, who plays the extraordinarily facial-haired Gus March-Phillips – a dashing Brit who seems to have wandered off the set dirty Dozen. Gus’s introduction, in chains and drinking brandy, is a strong blend of timeless courage and wit, and fits Ritchie’s penchant for clever villains.

Henry Cavill in a scene from ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/Lionsgate Movies

Ministry of Uncivil Warfare takes pleasure in his own stupidity, filling the narrative with parody A Team-like a cast of supporting characters that seem straight out of a comic book rather than a real special ops force dossier. There’s the obligatory big-chested Nord (Alan Ritchson), who downplays Jack Reacher’s kill count; the deranged arsonist (Henry Golding), who doesn’t seem to be up to much besides Kaboom; and the attractive woman (Eiza González), cast specifically for a 007 outing, whose talents seem hopelessly wasted.

If Inglourious Basterds Having given us a revisionist revenge fantasy, Ritchie’s film presents a more cartoon-like depiction of wartime heroism. The Nazis, in this universe, exist purely as target practice for the Allies’ scheming rebels. Video game NPC cannon fodder is dispatched with a gleeful disregard for subtlety, falling to bullets, arrows, switchblades, axes, and the occasional bomb; Duty-like precision. It’s a morally simple playing field where the bad guys are very bad, and the good guys are immune to the complications of real war and come out of it more or less unscathed, made possible by plot armor rather than any reverence for historical fact.

The film’s main antagonist, Heinrich Luhr, played by Til Schweiger, is a poor imitation of Christoph Waltz’s iconic Hans Landa. Where the latter was an (Oscar-winning) masterclass in evil charisma, Luhr’s pantomime villain seemed nothing more than a cardboard cutout of villainy – a hollow echo of Waltz’s elegance that leaves you craving the subtle menace of the original.

It also features a cast of historical characters that have been decidedly re-imagined through a Ritchie-esque lens. Freddie Fox’s Ian Fleming, pre-007 days, and Rory Kinnear’s M (yes, that same M) are less characters and more nods and gestures, their inclusion there only to satisfy Ritchie’s Easter egg-laying fantasies. The film’s funky score also echoes Ennio Morricone’s instantly recognisable motives, but often clashes with its more intense action sequences, inevitably undermining any semblance of real danger.

Eiza Gonzalez in a scene from ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/Lionsgate Movies

And yet, for all its flaws, Ministry of Uncivil Warfare Undoubtedly entertaining. It’s a good old-fashioned popcorn movie, the kind of film you watch with friends, laughing at its ridiculous disregard for convention. Cavill and his co-stars have elevated the film’s ability to brag unabashedly and never fail to offer impeccably choreographed, over-the-top, action set pieces that, in short, put Ritchie’s spectacle skills on great display as always.

Though they have a charm of their own, Guns of Navarone-style historical dramas are often bogged down by their own seriousness. Ritchie’s nonchalant attitude makes them even more so Ministry of Uncivil Warfare A breath of fresh air – its brazen disregard for sanity is a fiery reminder that surrendering to pure, unadulterated entertainment is perfectly acceptable (unless you’re a Nazi or a historian).

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video