'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' Review Thread

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Fresh

Critics Consensus: Cranking up a true story of derring-do into a high-octane action flick that's heavy on spectacle if not suspense, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is another solid entry into Guy Ritchie's pantheon.

Metacritic: 57 (32 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

The movie relies on a terrific ensemble in nearly all its lead roles, apart from Churchill. - Peter Debruge, Variety

It’s moderately entertaining because there’s a fascinating historical footnote at the root of it, but the execution doesn’t maximize the story’s potential. - David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It’s hard not to get swept up in this film’s simple pleasures. - William Bibbiani, TheWrap

In proficiently staged set pieces, Ritchie makes his own case for a bit of class. As a journeyman filmmaker now pumping out a movie a year, he’s in many ways grown to be a more complete director. 2.5/4 - Jake Coyle, Associated Press

“Ungentlemanly Warfare” is less confident and it shows because musclebound chaps doing murderously madcap work can only go so far. 2.5/4 - Brian Truitt, USA Today

The plot breezes on with flimsy banter and bloodshed to go along with scant character development. 2/4 - Jen Yamato, Washington Post

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is not a good movie nor a terribly enjoyable one, if you’re paying attention to it. But as background noise, it’s diverting and intermittently amusing. - Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

Mr. Ritchie’s hyped-up re-creation might be forgivable if it weren’t so lazily written. - Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal

In the end, this is not really a World War II movie. It’s just a pretty good action film that borrows the plot from about three or four “Fast and Furious” movies, while stealing riffs from Tarantino. 2.5/4 - Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It’s an undeniably fun picture but rather too self-impressed. It’s Ritchie at his limited best. - Soren Andersen, Seattle Times

Thing is, there aren’t a lot of stakes to relentless hyperviolence where every character more or less moves through the movie with an air of supreme confidence. You know what’s a boring note to play for two hours? Nonchalance. 2.5/5 - Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle

It's proof positive that a great movie can be fun, flashy and ridiculous, with an uncomplicated plot and still work. - Meredith G. White, Arizona Republic

Don’t let the violent mayhem and casual nature fool you, there’s real skill and craftsmanship at work here. Credit Ritchie. 3/4 - Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News

Even Ritchie on autopilot has him flying higher than many of his peers. 3/5 - Benjamin Lee, Guardian

While you still wish that the movie's screws were turned a little tighter... and it didn't keep tripping over its own self-consciousness, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare does nail the rip-roaring flavor of yesteryear's do-or-die romps. - David Fear, Rolling Stone

The result is a smirking, shallow action-comedy -- a total mission failure. - Tim Grierson, Screen International

"The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" would seem to be an almost ideal project for Ritchie—which is why its lethargy comes as such a dispiriting surprise. - Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

Ritchie pumps this story full of enough cheeky rodomontade that it’s able to stay afloat on the strength of its own meat-headed bluster, and eventually sail back to England on the residual breeze of the better movie it could have been. C+ - David Ehrlich, indieWire

A slightly apocryphal historical remix, Ministry is Ritchie’s best film in a long time. It can’t claim to reinvent the wheel, as the director is still pretty comfortable in sticking with what works. - Lyvie Scott, Inverse

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has its moments, harkening back to the winsome rogues and madcap mayhem of Ritchie's early gems, like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. - Kristy Puchko, Mashable

Ritchie’s action-comedy never quite settles on what type of film it wants to be. 2/4 - Derek Smith, Slant Magazine

The cast, especially Ritchson, chews the scenery and spits it out with great fervor. It's violent, stylish and presented with flair while showcasing a lesser-known tale from the war that was only declassified recently. 3/4 - Emily Zemler, Observer

Fits comfortably within the wheelhouse of Guy Ritchie's favorite tropes: witty, devil-may-care, square-jawed heroes inflicting heavy doses of violence while dressed like they’re on their way to a fashion-mag photo shoot. - Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict

SYNOPSIS:

Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming. The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.

CAST:

• Henry Cavill as Gus March-Phillips
• Eiza González as Marjorie Stewart
• Alan Ritchson as Anders Lassen
• Alex Pettyfer as Geoffrey Appleyard
• Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Henry Hayes
• Babs Olusamokun as Heron
• Henrique Zaga as Captain Binea
• Til Schweiger as Heinrich Luhr
• Henry Golding as Freddy Alvarez
• Cary Elwes as Brigadier Gubbins 'M'

DIRECTED BY: Guy Ritchie

SCREENPLAY BY: Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, Guy Ritchie

BASED ON THE BOOK THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE: HOW CHURCHILL'S SECRET WARRIORS SET EUROPE ABLAZE AND GAVE BIRTH TO MODERN BLACK OPS BY: Damien Lewis

PRODUCED BY: Jerry Bruckheimer, Guy Ritchie, Chad Oman, Ivan Atkinson, John Friedberg

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Mohammed Al Turki, Dave Caplan, Jason Cloth, Iain Farmer, Olga Filipuk, Michael Heimler, Eric Johnson, K. Blaine Johnston, Scott LaStaiti, Damien Lewis, Llewellyn Radley, Anders Sandberg, Teddy Schwarzman, Jill Silfen, Paul Tamasy, Christopher Woodrow

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Ed Wild

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Martyn John

EDITED BY: James Herbert

COSTUME DESIGNER: Loulou Bontemps

MUSIC BY: Christopher Benstead

CASTING BY: Daniel Hubbard

RUNTIME: 120 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2024