Give it up for these bad ass men and woman killing Nazis!
Even though certain elements are fictionalized (because they have to be), Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is said to be based on a declassified mission during World War II. The Special Operations Executive (SOE) to be exact, and the mission was under the codename: Operation Postmaster.
Based on the book “Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII” and fictionalizing the mission, it’s a stylish and cheeky action movie that knows how to sneak in the humor and allow the audience to enjoy the R-rated violence. Granted, it doesn’t top “Inglorious Basterds” in terms of the story, but it does allow the big name stars to adapt to Ritchie’s filmmaking skills.
Here are the heroes on one team. Henry Cavill (fresh from “Argylle”) plays the team leader Gus March-Phillips, Alan Ritchson plays the Dutch archer and strongman Anders Lassen, Alex Pettyfer plays the master planner Geoffrey Appleyard, Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays the wily Irishman Henry Hayes, and Henry Golding plays the demolitions expert and swimmer Freddy Alvarez.
The mission is simple. They have to destroy the Nazi U-boats in the North Atlantic, including an Italian ship on the island of Fernando Po, and execute anyone who stands in their way. That’s right! They have to go all “Inglorious Basterds” on these Nazis.
Here’s the smaller team. Eiza Gonzalez plays the actress/singer Marjorie Stewart and Babs Olusanmoken plays the black market expert Heron. They’re assigned to undercover roles on the island. Stewart would pose as a New York gold trader seducing the island’s commanding officer Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger), while Heron would be the casino bartender.
And here are the people in charge of them. Cary Elwes plays the Major General and prime mover Brigadier Gubbins, Freddie Fox is the future James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, and Roy Kinnear is the Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and also the man who instigated this secret mission. He knows that if his men get caught by the British, then they’ll be put in jail, and if they get caught by the Nazis, then it’s torture and death.
So, basically, these men could be telling either groups: “Up Yours.” That’s my guess, and I’m still thinking it.
“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” has too much going on in the story (co-written by Ritchie, Arash Amel, Eric Johnson, and Paul Tamasy) for us to stay focused, and I wish it was more patient. But I am able to read between the lines, and see the fun of it all. It’s a Ritchie movie that likes to have fun, especially when it’s viewed by fans of his work. And if he wants to fictionalize the Operation Postman mission, then that’s his right. After all, I didn’t learn history through “inglorious Basterds” when I was a teen, because even I was smarter than that.
I meant what I said about Cavil being fresh from “Argylle,” because he’s able to bring on the laughs and charisma. He doesn’t sell himself short, and reuniting with Ritchie from “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” these two seem to have chemistry. We also get some laughs and charms from the likes of Ritchson and Pettyfer, as well as some style from Gonzalez and Olusanmoken. And I like how Kinnear portrays Churchill in an exuberant sense, not a Gary Oldman Oscar-winning sense.
In a month when “Civil War” is breaking box office records for A24, I’m enjoying another action movie, but distributed by Lionsgate. I can sense when a movie is popcorn entertainment, and not junk food. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” doesn’t top that movie, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a fun time. I sure did.