Movie Breakdown: The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Pre-Screening Stance:
Guy Ritchie hoodwinked me last year with the fun-looking but ultimately lackluster Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and – if I’m being honest – The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is giving me similar vibes. Then again, maybe it’s just recency bias.
Post-Screening Ramble:
If you’ve ever watched Inglorious Basterds and wished that it was only about Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine and his Nazi-killing buddies then you’re going to really dig Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The film, which is supposedly based on a true story, has a pretty straightforward setup. The Nazis are wrecking shop with their U-boats and Winston Churchill is desperate to figure out a way to take them out. Ideally, he’d like to just bomb where the U-boats are supplied, but the ship responsible for that rests in a neutral territory and attacking it would mean a whole slew of bad things for England. So, instead Churchill opts to utilize a couple of undercover agents and a ragtag team of unruly sorts – fronted by Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) – to secretly get the job done. From there, a whole lot of Nazis die. There’s also a ton of wisecracks (and charming British-isms) across what’s an effortlessly enjoyable experience. Seriously, this is not a dramatic or tense film at all, it’s instead a full-on cheeky ride that encourages you to kick back, laugh, and cheer when the likes of Alan Ritchson’s Anders Lassen brutally destroys a bunch of Nazis with a bow or a knife or whatever happens to be around. I realize it’s a bit cliche to attach a “no brain power needed” tag to an action movie, but it’s particularly true when it comes to The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The only thing you need for this one is a big bucket of popcorn and a beer.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare lands in theaters this Friday, April 19. It’s fun and silly and worth your time if that’s all you’re needing (or wanting) right now.
One Last Thought:
Henry Cavill is a big guy so it’s pretty wild that Alan Ritchson often makes him look small in this movie.
