Inspired by the recently declassified, true story of British commandoes in World War II, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a lightweight war film by Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes), is popcorn entertainment and reasonably diverting.
In wartime North Atlantic, German U-Boats are sinking Allied ships at an alarming rate, and with Great Britain on the verge of surrender, Winston Churchill devises a secret, unauthorized operation for a group of undisciplined, rowdy soldiers led by Gus March-Phillipps (Henry Cavill). They are sent to destroy a supply depot for U-Boats thus endeavoring to cripple them in the war effort. As the plan goes, it involves spies and misdirects leading to a tense, explosive ending where last minute complications threaten to derail everything. As British command attempts to cancel this unsanctioned mission, can the team find a way to solve their dilemma in time?
The film, with an exuberant cast, is part cloak-and-dagger and against-all-odds mission, and is derivative of multiple films from an opening scene right out of The Guns of Navarone to Inglorious Basterds to Mission Impossible. It feels almost contemporary despite being set in the early 1940s. With a Nazi kill count that rivals Where Eagles Dare, the tone that Ritchie chooses to take is for a fast paced story that is tongue-in-cheek and laced with his typical humor and repartee. It is not a stretch to describe the action scenes as almost comic strip worthy with a nasty villain to despise.
It’s
a fascinating story (that sets up an obvious follow-up), but in the meantime,
enjoy the pyrotechnics, and don’t pay
too much attention to the plausibility of the narrative. It’s a fun ride
from beginning to end.
****
of ***** stars (for Ritchie fans)
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