Another Great WWII Story Gets Comfortably Watered Down in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
Trust Guy Ritchie to take a very British story of wartime heroism and drape it in an all-American story of rebels with a cause…with some accents slapped on for good measure.
Henry Cavill may hail from the island himself, but his action chops and ruggedly handsome charisma have lent themselves well to a career of classing up many a dull exercise in Hollywood excess, from the “Man of Steel” to “Argylle,” not to mention the smaller screen outings which have earned him a devoted fandom.
The pattern shows no signs of slowing in his latest collaboration with fellow UK native Ritchie for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” Hollywood does love its Nazi movies, and it’s a pleasure for the rest of us too, if a guilty one at times. Much like a good revenge plot, they appeal to the primal in all of us, that nearly irresistible urge to vanquish a foe deemed worthy of such.
The era “Ministry” chronicles is one of the only circumstances wherein referring to your opponent as the “mainspring of evil” (by no less than Churchill himself) is a righteous statement, and to simply surrender and survive could be legitimately considered the ultimate cowardice. In a way we’ve all been missing this war ever since we won it, when the undoubtedly good guys were united against a common threat, and going to war against very defined enemies - and countries - was the answer to triumphing over a just as clearly defined evil.
What a relief to take such direct action, the kind which was such a far cry from the complexities of the world that awaited. But in “Ministry,” the mission is still on, victory is in question, and there’s the usual personification of civilized monstrosity which must be overcome. Til Schweiger clearly knows the drill, and while we don’t need an extra reason to despise the Nazi bigwig Heinrich Luhr, effort is always appreciated.
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It can’t prevent “Ministry” from being reduced to forgettable popcorn fare, since practically everything about it has been done before, and with far more care, with even the costume for the sole woman in the cast Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González, who graciously adds depth to a very thin concept) throwing out green-tinged “Atonement” vibes. The banter is enjoyable enough, but missing some inglourious basterds to make the hard-edged wit truly memorable, and there’s a whole article to be written about the various other movies this one has cribbed its action sequences from.
Doing justice to such a remarkable true story always involves higher stakes, and the snippets we get of the real people involved not only sound more interesting, but a hell of a lot funnier. Instead “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” would rather spend its time in repetition, mostly about how these guys are such rebellious rebels, and the way it cuts away from González, visually and sound-wise, during her big musical number while the climactic battle is in motion, should be considered a cinematic crime. The woman she’s playing also married Cavill’s Gus March-Phillips, so lost in the rubble is a great tale of wartime love.
Chances are it won’t matter for most, and all indications are that it doesn’t. It’s shiny and entertaining enough, with inclusive action and skin tastefully shown as to offend no one, and dialogue that’s fine enough for a sugar high at least. It’s very Guy Ritchie, and I suppose one shouldn’t expect him to change it up even for history’s sake.
Rating: C+
