The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Directed by Guy Ritchie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare follows a ragtag team of soldiers, including Henry Cavill’s Gus, Alan Ritchson’s Anders, and Eiza González’s Marjorie, as they attempt to sink an important Nazi supply boat. Filmmaker Ritchie, armed with a written alongside Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Arash Amel, admittedly does a terrific job of initially luring the viewer into the proceedings, as The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare kicks off with a fun, larger-than-life sequence in which the aforementioned soldiers quickly (and brutally) dispatch dozens of Nazi officers – with the engaging atmosphere heightened by the compelling (and thoroughly charismatic) efforts of the various performers. It’s clear, then, that The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘s distressing downfall is due to an overly (and excessively) lighthearted midsection that grows less and less compelling as time progresses, as the picture’s total lack of grittiness, coupled with the heroes’ apparent invincibility, paves the way for a woefully uninvolving third act that contains little in the way of suspense or tension (ie it’s increasingly difficult to work up any real interest in or enthusiasm for the protagonists’ success) – which, thanks also to a palpably overlong running time, confirms the movie’s place as a disappointing misfire that feels like it should be so much better.

** out of ****