A rag tag group of misfits are tasked to go behind enemy lines to disrupt German forces during WWII in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Directed by Guy Ritchie who is best known for Sherlock Holmes, Snatch, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Gentlemen.

 

We find ourselves introduced to Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) who is being tasked with an off the books mission created by Prime Minister Churchill (Rory Kinnear) and Brigadier Gubbins ‘M’ (Cary Elwes). Phillips is viewed as a delinquent in the eyes of the British government due to not following orders, but he is an excellent leader when executing his ridiculous plans. The goal is to have Phillips’ team - Ander Lassen (Alan Ritchson), Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer), Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), and Henry Golding (Freddy Alvarez) - travel to Fernando Po, an island near Africa occupied by German, Italian, and Spanish fleets. The island houses an Italian supply ship called the Duchessa. This boat carries supplies to the German U-Boats which have devastated the UK by sinking many of their supply and aid ships. The goal is to sink the Duchessa, and the two tugboats attached to the ship. This will take out the German U-Boat fleet for good. To help set up the operation before Phillips arrives to Fernando Po, Marjorie Stewart (Eiza Gonzalez) goes undercover as an actress to pull information about the Duchessa from the German in charge of the ship. Heron (Babs Olusanmokun), the owner of the hotel and casino in Fernando Po, works with Stewart to prepare for the day of the operation. Will this mission sail smoothly? Or will it sink?

 

This film from start to finish really grabs your attention with its characters, story, and action sequences. Ritchie usually does a great job in those three categories, and I think he hit it out of the ballpark with this film. Cavill did an amazing job of playing Phillips because he just had fun with the role. It seemed like it was just effortless for him to become this unhinged soldier who executes insane plans that no one in their right mind would try. As for the other actors in this film, I feel like they all brought their A-game. I didn’t get the sense that any of them were phoning in their performance or that they weren’t at the tier Cavill was performing at. The action sequences in this film were well done from the use of practical effects to the execution of the fighting choreography. You could just feel every punch, shot, stab, and explosion through the sound design, and that made it even more enthralling. As for the story, Ritchie did a great job of keeping it interesting by effectively using dramatization and music to make specific scenes impactful.

 

Overall, I would highly suggest seeing this film in theaters. It’s just a fun movie that is based on a true story with great acting and awesome action sequences. What more could you ask for in a film?

 

Rating: 4 out of 5