Summary

The ensemble cast, with standouts like Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson, makes the movie exceptionally fun.
Guy Ritchie brings his signature style to the film, although it lacks the typical snappy pace of his other works.
While the story is a bit overcomplicated, the sequences of brutal Nazi-killing are what make the film entertaining.

It seems like for every generation, there comes a movie featuring big-name stars killing Nazis, and for the current generation, that movie is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Following in the footsteps of films like Inglourious Basterds, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has a leg up by being based on a true story about a real team of special operatives sent on an unsanctioned mission during World War II. Though not necessarily director Guy Ritchie’s best movie, his latest has enough slick style and exhilarating action to be one hell of a fun ride.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a World War II film following a top-secret combat unit who were formed by Winston Churchill to hunt down Nazis. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie and based on the book The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops by Damien Lewis.ProsThe ensemble cast is exceptional, with Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson as particular standoutsGuy Ritchie brings his personal style and flair to the movie ConsThe story is a little overcomplicated and pulls focus from the true strength of the movie: Gus March-Phillipps’ team of Nazi killers

At the forefront of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’s cast is Ritchie veteran Henry Cavill, who plays the leader of the mission, Gus March-Phillipps. He’s tasked with sinking a Nazi ship docked on a Spanish-controlled island off the coast of West Africa that’s meant to supply the German U-boats preventing supplies and allies from making the trip across the Atlantic to aid Great Britain in the war.

He assembles a team consisting of explosives expert Freddy Alvarez (Henry Golding), sailor Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), hunter turned soldier Anders Lassen (Alan Ritchson) and the only man he believes capable of planning a mission like this, Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer). They’re assisted by operatives Marjorie Steward (Eiza González) and Mr. Heron (Babs Olusanmokun). It’s a large cast and everyone has something to do — for better or worse.

Related Where To Watch The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare: Showtimes & Streaming Status Henry Cavill and Guy Ritchie’s WWII movie is here, and there are different options for where to watch The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare Is A Little Bogged Down By Its Historical Constraints
The movie doesn’t quite manage Guy Ritchie’s typical snappy style

If there’s one thing Ritchie has come to be known for as a director, it’s the snappy, fast-pace of his dialogue, but The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is sadly lacking on that front. The movie, which Ritchie directed from a script he co-wrote with Paul Tamasy (The Fighter), Eric Johnson (Patriots Day) and Arash Amel (A Private War), is toned down compared to some of the filmmaker’s other movies. Considering the film is based on real events, both the script and film are somewhat constrained by reality, even if they do take some liberties to fictionalize the story.

The sequences of brutal Nazi-killing are what truly make the movie as entertaining as it is.

The highly fictionalized nature of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is what saves it from being a boring slog of a spy drama. The sequences of brutal Nazi-killing are what make the movie entertaining — along with quippy jokes from Cavill. But it’s still apparent the writers, in their need to stay within the boundaries of history, were burdened to keep things more realistic than expected from a Ritchie action movie. It’s still plenty entertaining, thanks in large part to the cast and Ritchie’s style, but the film has its slow moments (which aren’t meant to be slow).

There are quite a few moving parts; too many, in fact. At the center of the movie are Cavill’s team of Nazi-killing enthusiasts, and if that’s all the movie was, it might’ve been more exciting. But González and Olusanmokun largely operate in their own storyline separate from Cavill’s team, loosely connected by the growing discontent of certain British leaders, which is managed by Brigadier Gubbins ‘M’ (Cary Elwes) and Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox). All told, the disparate storylines are woven together as well as they can be, but the movie might be more complicated than audiences are expecting.

The Cast Makes The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare An Exceptionally Fun Action Comedy
Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson are particular standouts

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare might be some of the most fun you’ll have watching A-List stars kill Nazis.

There’s some entertainment to be had in González’s captivating performance as Marjorie Stewart as she goes toe-to-toe with Nazi officer Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger) — though the fact that she’s tasked with seducing him despite his penchant for violence is a trite attempt at drama. Olusanmokun is similarly charming as Mr. Heron, showing off his abilities as a slick spy in more than a few scenes. However, the true strength of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is Cavill and his team of Nazi-killing misfits, and unfortunately, the movie doesn’t give us nearly enough of them.

Themost fun moments come when Cavill’s Gus March-Phillipps is interacting with other members of his team, whether that’s Ritchson’s Anders Larsson, who has a penchant for particularly bloody methods of killing Nazis, or Golding’s Freddie Alvarez. The camaraderie between this portion of the cast is evident in every scene they share together, and it’s nearly criminal how little The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Wafare takes advantage of it. The movie could’ve been entirely about Cavill and his team bonding by killing Nazis, and it would’ve made me very happy, but that’s not what’s delivered.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Release Date April 19, 2024 Studio(s) Black Bear , Jerry Bruckheimer Films , Toff Guy Films Distributor(s) Lionsgate Writers Paul Tamasy , Eric Johnson , Arash Amel , Guy Ritchie Cast Henry Cavill , Eiza González , Alan Ritchson , Alex Pettyfer , Hero Fiennes Tiffin , Babs Olusanmokun , Til Schweiger , Henry Golding , Cary Elwes , Henrique Zaga Runtime 120 Minutes

It’s a bit disappointing because, arguably, that’s the movie the marketing promises. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare trailers suggested a seemingly simple storyline featuring a central team on a mission to kill Nazis, but the film itself or more spy thriller mashed together with an action comedy. There are undoubtedly aspects of it that work well, like giving more focus to the full scope of people involved in the mission, but it’s difficult to ignore that perhaps a simpler story would’ve been more effective. Really, you can’t go wrong by giving Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson more screen time.

Ultimately, there’s enough of Ritchie’s signature flair and style to satisfy the director’s fans, even if it’s not quite as snappy or fast-paced as some of his other films. Though it’s interesting the movie is based on true events, it’s too constrained by facts to be the hyper-stylish action comedy it clearly wants to be. The cast — particularly Cavill and Ritchson — go a long way in making the actioner as enjoyable as it is. And, honestly, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare might be some of the most fun you’ll have watching A-List stars kill Nazis onscreen.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
is in theaters Friday, April 19. It is rated R for strong violence throughout and some language.