Riot’s Reviews: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Yikes, what a mouthful! Even if I am under the impression that movie titles are getting out of control these days, at least this one is an original and not made lengthy by virtue of simply being a sequel. When it comes to film and my own personal history tracking writers/directors through time, there’s only a few names that almost guarantee I will be out in the audience: Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, and Guy Ritchie. With personal favorite titles like Snatch and his two runs with Sherlock Holmes, Ritchie has a fantastic history bringing suave, charismatic British heroes and anti-heroes to life. While I can’t honestly say everything he puts out is a banger (huge misses with Aladdin, King Aruthur: Legend of the Sword, and Wrath of Man) he certainly ends up more in the black on his ledger with titles like The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Gentlemen, and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Leading up to the release of this film, I hadn’t seen enough promotion to really know what I was getting into. I certainly didn’t know anything about the plot. But when I hear Ritchie has Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and the legend Cary Elwes together for a film? You sonufa b****, I’m in.
Mark another one down as a Guy Ritchie banger because The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was an incredible movie and has taken over the title of best 2024 film thus far. There is so many elements going for it that I was honestly struggling to think about the negative points, so let’s begin there. For a film based on true events and set in WW2 Nazi controlled Africa, there are a few too many scenes that break believability, mostly when it comes to the action sequences (basically everything involving Alan Ritchson and his bow/arrows, calm down Legolas). The stoic and frighteningly calm demeanor with which each character dispatches garrisons of Nazis threatens to take you out of the moment. And finally, Ritchie is pretty much a master of dialogue/monologue, so much so that he likes to put as much as he possibly can in his movies. Although they are few and far between, the pacing of the film is hurt on a couple occasions by conversations that feel unnecessary to advance the plot.
That’s it! That’s all I got! The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was an incredible ride. It’s extremely funny, the acting is phenomenal and the chemistry between the characters is off the charts. The dynamic between Henry Cavill’s crew (Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding) is a pleasure to watch. Even if their stoic murder spree is on its face unbelievable, each member sells it exceptionally well, always pointing the audience back to the fact that they are men with a purpose and one that must be completed at any cost. The extensive cast (I’ve mentioned before the dangers of too many faces) doesn’t become overwhelming and even support characters offer something special to the progress of the story (Cary Elwes and Rory Kinnear as “M” and Churchill were really great). Eiza Gonzalez was a very convincing femme fetal and Babs Olusanmokun was excellent as the reserved, yet formidable entrepreneur turned agent in disguise. The film’s villain, Til Schweiger (who I loved from his roles in Inglorious Basterds and This Means War) provided the right kind of menacing/uneasy presence to help ensure the suspense of completing the mission was always on a knife’s edge. I was particularly impressed with the music in the film and the sound tricks used to help emphasize the danger/intensity of the situation. Having the sound abruptly cut during the dialogue between Gonzalez and Schweiger enforced the uneasiness the audience was already feeling, adding to the intensity of the moment. The fight choreography was absolutely brutal but was still tempered often with humor you weren’t expecting. Cavill’s way of laughing while he casually cut down the soldiers in his path was both unnerving and comical, helping to keep the whole experience on the lighter side. There was a lot of very clever cinematography as well, in particular a number of shots from the perspective of a waiter’s tray in the midst of a rambunctious party. Complete with some visually stunning film locations, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is sure to thrill audiences with its violent action, off the cuff comedy, and intensely interesting, real-life event storyline.
Riot’s Rating: 9.5/10: Definitely not for kids, more geared to the fellas, but I’d argue a decent date movie for the average viewer.
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