We’ve seen a lot of different World War II stories celebrating heroes who helped defeat the German army. And, even decades later, we keep seeing new stories, like the one captured in the latest film from director Guy Ritchie.
The film is called The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Its events are based on a true story captured in 2014 in a book by Damien Lewis. It chronicles a group of secret warriors who helped save the war efforts for England, working in secret at the behest of Winston Churchill. In fact, their exploits weren’t even made public until a few years ago when the book was released.
In 1942, as the British are trying to hold off the Nazis while waiting for the Americans to join the war effort, the North Atlantic is controlled by the Germans and their U-Boats. Those U-Boats are supplied, repaired, and refitted at a single small port controlled by the Spanish. In order to open the supply routes, the British need to damage that supply chain.
To do it, they need to work in secret. A General code-named M (Cary Elwes) comes up with a plan he pitches to Churchill (Rory Kinnear). It involves a rebellious Major, Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill), his handpicked team (Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding), and a pair of spies (Babs Olusanmokun and Eiza Gonzales). Together, they hatch a plan to sink the supply ship and its support Tugboats, dealing the Germans a blow.
As they put the plan in motion, things go off the rails, especially when the German leader (Til Schweiger) begins to suspect the spies around him. Can this group pull it off without getting caught by the Germans or even the leadership of their own military?
Ritchie made his name with a certain style of action films that features fun characters, crackling scripts, and plenty of action. You feel that in spades as he brings this story to life. It’s a great cast and it’s a fun script, with plenty of jokes and great repartee. But it’s the action you’re hoping to see, and you certainly get that here.
I enjoyed the cast a lot. Cavill, Ritchson, Pettyfer, and Golding are having a lot of fun in their role as this group, while Olusanmokun and Gonzales are fun in their roles as spies. I enjoyed Elwes as the commander and Kinnear as Churchill, too. Schweiger makes for a good bad guy here, too.
The setting works well and the style of the period are a lot of fun, too. This is some vintage Ritchie and it’s a lot of fun. It’s also well worth checking out on the big screen.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is now playing nationwide.