The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a film I was quite looking forward to. In fact, I went to the theater to see it and got about 30 minutes in. But alas, life had different plans as a family emergency needed my attention outside the theater (everything's ok!) and I didn't have the time to slot it back in that weekend.
I've eagerly awaited its rent-at-home price to drop to something more reasonable than nearly 2 movie-tickets worth, so this weekend's price reduction allowed me to finally check out its entirety.
Director Guy Ritchie is insanely busy these days, seemingly having multiple films each year (last year's The Covenant is underseen and arguably underappreciated), while also creating a TV-show spin of The Gentleman. Luckily, that quantity hasn't had too much of an impact on quality for something as fun as The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (which I will title MUW for the remainder of the review).
Even on a second go-round, I appreciate how strong MUW starts. It's clearly having a blast - both the film and the actors themselves - and there's an air of something potentially special. It never quite lives up to the promise it starts with, something I was slightly disappointed to find, but that hardly tarnishes the fun, Nazi-killing extravaganza package overall. Perhaps obviously, it's no Inglorious Basterds, though it has flourishes of truly great moments where Ritchie's energy matches that of the cast and the action on screen. If anything, MUW's only sins are that it gets a bit weighed down with plot and sabotage logistics in the middle/end that suck some of the energy from it. The film almost feels this happen too as certain action sequences are less fun and unique as those that may have come before, but then will feature a scene that helps it recover. At no point is it anything less than fun, but I do think a tighter focus and more inspired backhalf could have made this something very special.
Outside of Ritchie's direction, my favorite component is the cast. Henry Cavill is having a blast as a semi-deranged action hero and he shares the spotlight well. Subtle elements, like his obsession with coats, are fun additions that bring some levity and humor to everything. Not to be outdone is Alan Ritchson as the massive, bow-and-arrow wielding Dane who cuts out Nazi hearts. Similar to Cavill, he's having a hell of a time and as a fan of his, it's cool to see him start and get bigger opportunities like this. The remaining cast includes Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza Gonzales, Babs Olusanmokun, and Rory Kinnear, among others. Gonzales and Olusanmokun are an effective duo as the more traditional spies and their portion of the plot is a good support block for the uber-violence we get elsewhere.
There's also fun to be had in the abundance of Nazi killing, all combined with a playful original score that suggests nothing here is too serious (even if we're contemplating the downfall of England in the war as a consequence for losing). Hundreds of Nazi's die - a pastime that it feels like everyone can enjoy - and the R-rating helps to ensure there's enough blood and violence to make this the actioner it wants to be. Nothing is grotesquely over the top, and as mentioned, the originality dips in later sequences, but there's still good fun throughout.
This was one of those missed-but-catching-up-now movies I'm delighted to have seen. I may be slightly saddened to know it didn't end as high as it started, but that hardly takes away from my enjoyment with the interesting plot (based on a true story), the fantastic cast, and Nazi-killing in spades.
Rapid Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10
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