'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' Review: Fighting a War With Paper Weapons
Since 2002, Guy Ritchie has directed a bewildering 15 feature length films. From his infamous Brad Pitt-led debut Snatch, to his Sherlock Holmes duology, to his more recent revival in The Gentlemen (an honorable mention to his underrated historical romp in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Ritchie has been a cinematic world traveler of sorts, whisking countless genres and types into his filmography all under his acclaimed sense of style. That’s one thing about Ritchie: no matter where the film is set, or what it’s about, his visual flare always sticks out. At least, that was the case up until now.
Something has happened with The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Ritchie’s latest release seemed like a surefire addition to his repertoire; a film about the first ever black ops military unit, operating illegally on the orders of Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming to undercut the Nazis during WW2, starring Henry Cavill, Henry Golding, Cary Elwes, and an extended, ubertalented company. If it sounds like a dream, that’s because it is.
It must’ve been too good to be true. Ministry feels like Ritchie lite, stripping his usual fashion down and suiting a regular, by the books approach instead that makes it hardly believable that he directed this thing. The camera rarely moves, it’s cut in a linear, straightforward manner, and its every card is laid bare; all qualities completely opposite to what Ritchie fans have undoubtedly gotten used to.
The first few scenes are hopeful, and have by far the most life of anything here. We open on a strong character introduction for the main crew, with Cavill’s team braving a boating party from a group of insecure Nazis, eventually tearing them apart and setting off on a mission as extreme underdogs. The usual shenanigans ensue soon after, and the first act rounds off with a decent bit of fun.
Yet, soon after, the story diverts to a side plot for what ends up being the majority of the middle portion of the film. Cavill’s party toils pointlessly in short intervals between overlong sequences of semi-sharp dialogue and tangled plot developments. Much of the happenings here are technically crucial to the film’s progression, but they’re presented and paced with a dire lack of intrigue in any sense of the word.
What’s worse is that this may legitimately be Ritchie’s best looking film. Ed Wild, who previously collaborated with Ritchie in 2023’s The Covenant, puts in a mammoth effort behind the lens. Memorable moments of creative blocking and composition are consistent, sometimes even making up for where the film lacks elsewhere. Colors are wildly stark and lights more than dominate scenes: they make them. Ministry’s visual palette is a real achievement that shouldn’t be overlooked despite the rest of the slip-ups here; it’s the best work on display here by far.
More credit where credit is due, Ritchie’s sly brand of crude humor works well here, too. It’s a bit odd that this tendency of his would be retained alone, though it has been a consistent, unchanging through line in just about everything he’s done since his 2001 debut. Cavill, Golding, and the rest of their company put on a naturalistic show of comedic expertise; they make the most of Ritchie’s unrelenting push for laughs in every scene, through the dialogue and action, both.
But the action in Ministry is much less remarkable. To be blazing guns and toting cigars, there is a distinct (and odd) reservedness about the entire thing. This is exemplified in the finale, where the good guys have to tackle an admittedly compelling plot twist and execute the against-all-odds mission of the century. In translating that idea to screen, it feels like very little happens at all, despite the entirety of the plot hinging on the sequence. The scene, barely lit and experientially muddy, embodies all the issues and wraps them up into a big sour sendoff.
Again, the actors do their best with what they’re given, but the energy is obscenely low. Gunfights may as well be sponsored by NERF; bullets soar through soldiers without any more than a vocal consequence in the form of shouts and groans. The necessary grit is blunted in favor of what feels like an adherence to a PG-13 rating… the only thing is, this film is rated R. It feels somewhere in between the two, and that indecisiveness further detriments the film overall.
As the sequence dolls onward, Cavill leads his squad casually through dim corridors on a gleeful attack. Perhaps this was meant to display a coolness in their lack of effort, but the final product feels a bit hapless as a result of the thin delivery of it all. This is the crux of every issue this film suffers, all wrapped up and exemplified in one sequence that should’ve been the most exciting of them all, but turned out underwhelming. Underwhelming is a key word all-round.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare may work for some folks. The action, even if uninteresting, is reliable. The humor is consistent, the film looks good, and anything with Henry Cavill in the lead is bound to garner an audience, and rightfully so. Yet, it’s hard not to be disappointed seeing Guy Ritchie’s name on the poster, knowing that he’s capable of far better than this. He proved as much with The Covenant last year, which saw a change of pace for the director, though he handled it well and delivered a fresh spin on his own style. Here, he feels restrained. Let’s hope he can break the funk with In The Grey (which was just announced at CinemaCon) next year.
If you’re itching to be at the cinema, go see this one for yourself and try and give it an honest shot; Ritchie’s inhuman authenticity up to this point has earned as much. But don’t be shocked if you come away feeling a little empty, like there’s something missing from the recipe this time around. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is painfully average, and all things considered, doesn’t present much to warrant anything after an obligatory first watch.