‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: Guy Ritchie, Where Art Thou?

Coming off of The Covenant almost one year ago to the day, almost nobody could’ve anticipated the 180 Guy Ritchie would pull with this film, and it may not be what you think it is. On the surface, going from a modern, closed-door war film to one set in 1940’s Europe may seem like a wild jump, but for those familiar with Ritchie’s taste for the unconventional (see his 2017 fantasy endeavor into medieval times, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) that won’t shock you one bit.

What will, though, is the stark disconnect between concept and execution here; on paper, it reads like a Guy Ritchie plot, and all the right pieces seemed to be in play for things to work out. Henry Cavill as a criminal turned operative in the lead role? Check. An exaggerated espionage plot? Check again.

Yet what we got hardly feels like it’s from Ritchie’s corner at all. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a milquetoast ride through scenes of watered down war, all of which are shot with far too much stability and a debilitating sense of reservation. Where did the fire go? Perhaps it’s just a rainy day, but whichever way you spin it, this is a mixed bag (of bullets).

The film is based on a true story that surfaced in 2016, following Winston Churchill’s illegally mandated black ops unit in WW2, a rather rag-tag group, that devised an insane plan to underscore the Nazi regime. Good idea for a movie, right? Undeniably, and in name, there’s no better fit at the helm than Guy Ritchie. But the adventure is scattered, in both plotting and delivery.

We open on a promising note; Cavill’s hard-headed character is recruited by Churchill, in addition to a few military cohorts and Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox) to sail the high seas in chase of a troupe of Nazi ships. He’s eventually joined by Henry Golding, Alan Ritchson, and others after one really great action sequence and a series of goofy gags and comedic strings of allure, all of which work. The problems were still prevalent up to that point, but hiding in nooks and crannies between the best of what the film has to offer, they flew under the radar.  After a crucial turning point towards the end of the first act, they’re painstakingly exposed.

The final product has one foot on solid ground and the other stuck in quicksand; it pulls both ways.

Beginning with an inconceivable switch in focus, where a side plot garners more attention than the main event for a good stretch of time, Ministry begins to slip. There’s a distracting disconnect between what the film is and what the film wants to be; some sequences are clearly burning to hit the road, but a wheel lock of some kind keeps them spinning in place every time. Whether it be a lack of innovation in delivering a scene or a hamstrung pace that robs something of its conceptual promise, there’s always something restricting the experience, even where there are positives at play.

Ministry ends up in the middle that way. There are things that’ll appeal to most, the greatest example of which likely being the undeniably beautiful visual design. Ritchie, despite doing very little with the camera, has produced maybe his best looking film ever. Colors are visceral, light is crisp, and the result is awfully pleasing. But the final product has one foot on solid ground and the other stuck in quicksand; it pulls both ways, threatening to both escape and sink, before eventually shrugging and settling in a spot of pure indifference.

Do see it for yourself, even if only to check another box on that vast Ritchie filmography. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare isn’t the worst thing you’ll see this year, not by a long shot, but sometimes disappointment stings as much as outright failure. This is such a case.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare receives its wider US release in theaters April 19. Unfortunately for UK fans there appears to be no theatrical release, it’s expected to release on streaming platform Amazon Prime.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Instagram Twitter(X)
YouTube TikTok