‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ is Guy Ritchie Forgettable

Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 19, 2024 - 11:08pm

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Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare” wants to be “Inglourious Basterds” in the worst way … but Henry Cavill is no Brad Pitt, and Guy Ritchie is no Quentin Tarantino. It’s a featherweight romp about British rogues killing Nazis that’s arch, witty, and completely forgettable. It goes down easy enough, but seems unlikely to inspire the love and devotion it so clearly craves.

The film has a toehold’s basis in fact, focusing on declassified details of a secret group of colorful agents embarking on black ops for Prime Minister Winston Churchhill during World War II. Henry Cavill stars as the dashing leader of the group who are there to kill Nazis and look good doing it. He’s a handsome and well educated military man (and spy) who doesn’t play by anyone’s rules but his own, yet is devoted to King and Country all the same.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Photo credit: Lionsgate

Cavill keeps one eye winking at the audience the entire time, as he mows down Nazi hordes with his quips cocked and ready to go. When a Nazi falls through a window after being shot, Cavill is ready with a genteel “he made a crash” that elicited a gentle tee-hee from me. “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson shows more brawn than brains sporting enormous muscles, a dodgy Swedish accent, and blindingly white choppers.

Henry Golding of “Crazy Rich Asians” is an explosives expert who only occasionally gets to blow things up, while Alex Pettyfer and Hero Fiennes Tiffin round out the black ops crew. Cary Elwes is their contact inside the British Government and their gateway to Prime Minister Churchill (a perpetually uncomfortable Rory Kinnear).

The plot, such as it is, finds the crew on an unsanctioned mission behind enemy lines to sabotage the German supply chain that are servicing the U-boats disrupting the North Atlantic. They rendezvous with agents portrayed by Elza González and Babs Olusanmokun, who are under deep cover to help distract the Germans and allow our boys to carry out the operations. There’s also “Inglourious Basterds” alum Til Schweiger as the sadistic German commander in charge of the remote supply base. It alls play out light without being distinctive.

Henry Cavill in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
Photo credit: Lionsgate

There’s periodic flashes of brutal violence that are bloody, but these moments lack edge. The characters have banter that occasionally crackles, but overall they don’t make much of an impression. Even with its occasional pleasures, the film feels like a well made knock off, which means you might be better served downloading the film that it’s trying to copy instead.

According to the end credits, Henry Cavill’s character supposedly inspired the creator of James Bond … military operative Ian Fleming is depicted in the film as part of the mission. And of course Cavill – as the one-time “Man From Uncle” – is willing to give it a go, but seems too smug by half than even the silliest of the Roger-Moore-as-James-Bond depictions. But at least it’s not the worst spy adventure Cavill has starred in this year … I’m looking at you, “Agent Argyle.”

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is in theaters April 19th. Featuring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfier, Henry Golding, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, Elza González and Rory Kinnear. Written by Guy Ritchie, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson and Arash Amel. Directed by Guy Ritchie. Rated “R”