Movie Review: THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE Starring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer

It never dawned on me at the time, but despite Sherlock Holmes appearing onscreen more than any other character in history, I’d never seen a movie featuring the character until I saw the 2009 Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes. By coincidence, it was also my first Guy Ritchie film. I was immediately drawn in by the film: its rapid-fire pace and acerbic dialogue matched perfectly with Robert Downey Jr.’s charisma and humor. By the time the credits rolled, I was a Ritchie fan. I went back and saw his early hits, Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and I eagerly awaited the sequel to Sherlock Holmes. Since then, he’s managed to put out some other outstanding work, namely The Covenant, The Gentlemen, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

As a result, I’ve had my eye on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (apparently now Guy is only making films with titles starting with The) ever since I saw the first trailer. I’m an amateur World War II enthusiast, so pairing the subject with Guy’s efforts? To quote “Archer,” it’s like my brain’s the tree and the producers are those little cookie elves.

Based (very) loosely on the Damien Lewis book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII, Ministry focuses on Operation Postmaster, an attempt to gain the upper hand in the Battle of the Atlantic, during which Nazi Germany attempted to disrupt the shipping convoys America was sending to the Allies. This battle, which essentially ran the course of the war, pitted Nazi submarines, better known as U-boats (the U standing for Unterseeboote), and surface vessels against mostly British and (starting in 1941) American ships. When England receives intel in early 1942 that the U-boats are about to be resupplied by the cargo ship Duchessa d’Aosta, Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) devises a mission for the newly-formed Special Operations Executive to sabotage the ship, which is still in harbor at Fernando Po in Africa.

Selected to lead the mission is Major Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill), founder of the Small Scale Raiding Force (also known as No. 62 Commando). Known for his willingness to get his hands dirty and disregard orders from commanding officers, he recruits a group of four other men: Freddy Alvarez (Henry Golding), Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyford), Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), and Anders Lassen (Alan Ritchson). Aided by SOE agents Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) and Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González), the team plans to sail to Fernando Po, sneak aboard the Duchessa at night, and use charges to sink the ship, preventing 10,000 carbon dioxide scrubbers from reaching the U-boats, thus preventing them from being able to operate underwater for long.

There really isn’t a whole lot of character development, but it’s forgivable, as once the mission gets underway, Guy Ritchie and crew get to doing what they do best: stylish, absurdly effective action. I mentioned earlier that the portrayal of the mission is very loosely based on real events, and for good reason. The mission becomes a drawn-out combat exercise with a tremendous body count; in real life, not a single person was killed on either side. There are other details that were fudged (from what I can tell, the suppressed Sten submachine guns they used weren’t produced until 1943 at the earliest) or completely fabricated (the manner in which the SOE obtained the declared cargo of the Duchessa) as well. If you end up enjoying the movie, I highly suggest reading up on the full mission as well as the history of the SOE; the estimable Sir Christopher Lee was a liaison officer in the organization.

The script is tight and effective with just enough humor sprinkled in. Cavill and crew are solid but not spectacular; if anyone steals the spotlight, it’s Eiza, who most recently featured in the seminal “3 Body Problem” series on Netflix. She nails pretty much every scene she’s in, proving herself confident and capable, as she’s often underestimated not only by her allies but her enemies, namely Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger), the commanding officer in charge of the Nazi detachment stationed at Fernando Po.

Bottom line, it’s a Guy Ritchie movie. There isn’t anything groundbreaking or extraordinary about it, but it provides a solid two hours of entertainment. If you’re a fan of his previous work, chances are you’ll be a fan of Ministry. If you like Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, or Eiza González, chances are you’ll be a fan. If you like history and aren’t overly pedantic about its presentation, chances are you’ll be a fan. If you like Nazis, though, you’ll probably want to skip it.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare gets a B