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Movie Review: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Mike Tyrkus

The new spy thriller set during World War II entitled The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has the unique distinction of being a somewhat true account of not only a pivotal mission during the campaign, but also of the germination of the character of James Bond – to a certain extent at least.

Ostensibly based on true events documented in recently declassified British War Department documents, the film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare imparts the tale of an organization created during World War II under the guidance of Prime Minister Winston Chruchill. This “top-secret” unit is comprised of a group of men (and one woman) brought together by Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) to undertake an audacious mission that could alter the course of the war against the Nazis.

Phillips is recruited for this mission by Brigadier Gubbins (Cary Elwes) – otherwise known as “M” – and his second in command Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox) and subsequently tasked with assembling his team. This was, as one might have already guessed, the pseudo-basis for the character of James Bond and the fictional “Double O” branch of Her Majesty’s Secret Service – created by Fleming in 1953 for the novel Casino Royale.

Once his team – which includes Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Henry Hayes), Alan Ritchson (Anders Lassen), Henry Golding (Freddy Alvarez), Babs Olusanmokun (Heron), and Eiza González (Marjorie Stewart) – is assembled, March-Phillips begins meticulously planning and, subsequently, executing his mission.

Working from a script written by himself alongside Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel and adapted from the novel by Damien Lewis, director Guy Ritchie delivers the type of cloak and dagger excitement he did in fare like Sherlock Holmes (2009) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015). Surprisingly, the quintet of writers working here does not result in anything too convoluted or cumbersome. The story moves both swiftly and with economic ease through what could have become a mare labyrinthian plot in lesser hands.

Apart from Cavill, who proves he very much has what it would take to carry the mantle of 007, Ritchson is the only other member of the cast afforded much in the way of additional growth, but that appears by design as the characters are well drawn to begin with and portrayed with equal verve. Each character is effectively given a moment to show off and exhibit their own set of skills.

Henry Cavill, Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding in “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” Photo by Daniel Smith/Daniel Smith.

Overall, the film has a crisp, epic look courtesy of Ed Wild’s cinematography that accentuates the production design of Martyn John that creates the film’s proper period atmosphere. James Herbert’s editing allows the film to continue moving in a way typical of many other high-energy Ritchie films that bounce effortlessly between action sequences and plot exposition. Encased in a score provided by Christopher Nissen and Christopher Benstead, the film moves at a pace that never succumbs to its two-hour running time.

As far as period piece spy thrillers go, director Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare stands near the top of the genre as a highly entertaining and effective action drama.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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