In "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare", Guy Ritchie has taken a shift from his usual flashy action movies to a story of a covert World War II mission. The film, which is written by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, and Ritchie himself, is based on British War Department documents dating back to Winston Churchill's first term in office. The story revolves around a group of misfits who undergo a secret mission to halt the destructive German U-boats in the North Atlantic.
Despite the high stakes involved in the mission, Ritchie's treatment of the material lacks the necessary tension and excitement. The director seemed to be attempting a Quentin Tarantino-style irreverence towards WWII action, but this attempt did not materialize effectively.
Henry Cavill stars as Major Gus March-Phillipps, an eccentric high-born who is released early from a prison sentence to lead the mission. His team includes a Danish expert in weaponry, an Irish sailor, a demolitions expert, and a master planner. Their mission is to infiltrate a Spanish port in West Africa, destroy the German attack boats, and sink an Italian ship carrying crucial supplies for the U-boats.
Despite the series of obstacles encountered during the mission, no hurdle seemingly proves challenging for the team, and the lack of conflict and suspense diminishes the dramatic impact of the film. The upbeat jazz score further contributes to this lax vibe.
The lead actors, especially Cavill, performed their roles well, but the lack of character development hindered them from standing out. Lastly, although the film has its origins in an intriguing historical event, Ritchie's half-hearted approach fails to realize the full potential of the story.
