Guy Ritchie is one of the top talents we have in the movie industry presently and I never miss any of his releases. Once I got wind of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024), I was excited and more so because of the cast.
This interesting spy action film based on the fictionalised version of Operation Postmaster, a second world war mission executed on the Spanish island, showcases the likes of Henry Cavill, Henry Golding, Alan Ritchson, Eiza González and Alex Pettyfer in action. The disclaimer at the beginning of the film creates suspense and curiosity. It states that, “Based on a true story taken from Winston Churchill's confidential files declassified in 2016.”
Ah, so we're delving into some knowledge of World War II that is not common. I still remember some of my history lessons and this one isn't part of it.
This film focuses on an unofficial black-ops mission to disrupt and sabotage the Nazis' U-boat on the Spanish island, Fernando Po. The purpose is to damage the Nazis’ naval strength and put an end to the incessant bomb runs on London. Under the direct instruction of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Gus March-Phillips is released from Her Majesty's hold to put a team together to destroy the Italian supply ship, Duchessa d'Aosta and their U-boats.
Gus March-Phillips puts his team together, a group of rebels and lawbreakers, and they head out to the Spanish island. When he learns that the Duchessa intends to depart three days ahead of schedule, this throws a wrench in their plans, exposing the team and Prime Minister to possible treason charges and imprisonment. Will this unruly team forge ahead with their plans or back out of the mission?
Review
I'm not usually drawn to war stories or films but this one produced by Guy Ritchie, I watched because of the impressive cast and also to gain further insight into this global conflict beyond what I was taught in history class. The plot is dark, suspenseful and well-written but I can't say much for the storytelling and cinematography.
The audience thrives on conflict(s) in movies—at least I do—but in this film, it seems absent. At some point, I expected the Gus team to face some obstacles while executing their mission but everything was smooth sailing. They had a plan, it was fast-forwarded and accomplished without any challenge. I know best laid plans don't often go smoothly like this and wished Guy Ritchie included a scene or two to reflect this. Not only would it be gripping, it would garner some positive reviews for this film.
Regarding the cast's performance, they are outstanding. I expected nothing less from this calibre of actors. An amusing part of the male cast's costumes is their beards and moustaches. Henry Cavill’s extravagant moustache makes him look like a villain character from one of my fairytale books, Alan Ritchson’s is so scanty that I'm wondering how long it took him to grow the beard and Henry Golding looks totally unlike himself! Still, I think they embodied their roles very well though I'm not fond of Alan Ritchson's Swedish accent. He sounded weird.
I admire the femme fatale part played by Eiza Gonzalez. She is lovely, bold and convincing in her role. I try to imagine what it must have felt like for the real Marjorie Stewart (a Jew) playing the role of an undercover agent in the midst of the Nazis and other dangerous people at that time. Terrifying.
One part I greatly fault in this film is the complete disregard for the Yoruba language. Again, Guy Ritchie could have done better in this aspect. This is a rich language with a distinctive accent that enhances its beauty. If the accent is absent or the words are wrongly intoned, you're no longer speaking the language but saying gibberish. West Africa falls within the history of this plot but somewhere the actors chosen to speak the language did so without regard for the accent. They sounded like aliens. The language was simply murdered and that's sad!
The action and suspense are great and well executed but the cinematography, pacing and attempts at witty banters fell flat for me.
Overall, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a fine spy action film that reveals a part of World War II that people need to know about but that's about it. I don't think I'll rewatch it. I give it 3 stars out of 5.
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Other images are screenshots from the movie
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