Movie Review

Guy Ritchie brings humor to history in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Alex Pettyfer and Henry Cavill in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Photo by Dan Smith for Lionsgate

The recent filmography of writer/director Guy Ritchie defies any kind of logic. He helmed the live-action remake of Aladdin in 2019, followed by a return to action with the trifecta of The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man, and Operation Fortune: Ruse du Guerre. Then, out of nowhere, he delivered a compelling war movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal with The Covenant.

His latest, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, is — bafflingly — a mixture between real history and the irreverent films for which he’s best known. Set in the early days of World War II, it centers on a group — led by Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) — of unruly but highly skilled soldiers (or spies?) recruited by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) and Brigadier Gubbins (Cary Elwes) to carry out a secret mission to hamper the ever-expanding Nazis.

The group — which includes Anders Lassen (Alan Ritchson), Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer), Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González), and Heron (Babs Olusanmokun), among others — is specifically sent to Africa to take out a ship that delivers supplies to the Germans’ fleet of U-boats. If they are able to cause such a disruption, the more likely it is that ships will be able to pass through the currently impenetrable line of Nazi submarines.

Lest you think Ritchie has made some kind of dramatic history film, fear not; the movie is more Inglorious Basterds than Saving Private Ryan. The jokes and one-liners fly fast and furious from the get-go in the script by Ritchie, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Arash Amel, making it clear that nothing in the film should be taken seriously. This, despite the fact that the film is based on the book Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a nonfiction account of acts of bravery by real British soldiers.

It’s safe to say, though, that almost nothing depicted in the film happened exactly as shown, as the group in the film racks up a body count that’s up there with the most violent action films. Ritchie also has his characters use a variety of retro-looking but likely not period-appropriate silenced guns to mow down hundreds of enemies. The light tone of the film overall makes the sequences fun to watch, and proves yet again that killing Nazis in a World War II film is one of the few things that can be done with impunity with little blowback.

The one thing Ritchie doesn’t quite achieve in his attempt at a Tarantino-type film is the same level of characterization. Gus, Marjorie, Anders, and certainly Churchill each have distinctive personalities that allow them to be interesting throughout, but those further down the list don’t stand out as much, feeling more like bodies to fill out the group than full-fledged members. Nazi Commander Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger) fulfills the main villain role without actually getting much to do.

Cavill, after getting lost in the weeds trying to make Superman work, has seemed to settle into himself as an actor. He’s got the looks, the charm, and the talent to be a leading man for a long time, and roles like this go a long way toward proving that. Ritchson is most notable for his physique, but he does relatively well acting-wise too. González and Olusanmokun make for a good team separated from the rest of the group, and it’s always nice to see Elwes hamming it up.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is Ritchie doing what he does best, although it’s a style that’s still an acquired taste. History buffs will do well to leave their thinking hats at home and just enjoy this shoot-‘em-up that’s slightly awkwardly attached to the story of some real heroes.

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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare opens in theaters on April 18.

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Movie Review

Despicable Me sequel Minions & Monsters keeps franchise's goofy vibe

Photo courtesy of Illumination & Universal Pictures

Henry and James in Minions & Monsters.

The Despicable Me franchise is one of the most enduring of the 21st century, now reaching its seventh film in the past 16 years with the release of Minions & Monsters. The Minions, which were originally mere sidekicks to the supervillain Gru, have now arguably become the face of the franchise, even more so when they get their own movie.

Minions & Monsters purports to give even more history for the little yellow pill-shaped beings who want nothing more than to serve bad guys. Instead of fan favorites like Kevin, Stuart, and Bob leading the way, this film features James, a Minion who can’t stop causing chaos, and his best friend, Henry (all Minions are voiced by series creator Pierre Coffin).

After a prologue showing the Minions teaming up with various baddies over centuries, the group shows up in early 20th century Hollywood, gaining attention from filmmakers like Max (Christoph Waltz) and producer brothers Frank and Edward (both voiced by Jeff Bridges). They quickly rise up the ranks, with adventures coming to involve actress Debbie (Zoey Deutch), robot Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), and a Cthulhu named Goomi (Trey Parker).

Co-directed by Coffin and Patrick Delage and co-written by Coffin and Brian Lynch, the film is the loosest one of the franchise to date, using a barely-there story as an excuse to have the Minions engage in as much mayhem as possible. The prologue is the most successful part of the film, as they meet a cyclops, wizard, bank robber, and more, with each sequence getting wilder and funnier.

The 90-minute film is just as interested in entertaining kids with its craziness as it is in giving adults references to early film history. Among the films and actors that get shout-outs are the first-ever movie, The Horse in Motion, Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and more. Whether including those historical relics will have kids wanting to seek out the real deals is questionable, but at least it shows the filmmakers know they owe a debt to the greats of the past.

The second half of the film becomes less coherent as the Minions split into different factions. James, Henry, and a hard-of-hearing Minion named Ed go in one direction to make a monster movie, while a larger group led by their antagonist named Dick goes in another. There’s no real purpose to either side’s journey other than to serve up laughs through the Minionese language (which seems to lean toward Spanish, as one scene acknowledges) and their antics.

Anyone purposefully going to a Minions movie likely enjoys Coffin’s performance of each character, each of which is subtly different. The rest of the cast, while star-laden, never truly sounds like the actors portraying them, which is strange when you have distinctive voices like Waltz, Bridges, and Eisenberg. The only people who stand out are Allison Janney as the narrator, Bobby Moynihan, and a cameo by George Lucas.

While Minions & Monsters doesn’t offer up an overly compelling reason for existing, it’s also harmless fun that has the side benefit of exposing kids to bits of film history that they might not have known existed. It also tries something different from the tried-and-true format of previous films, and experimentation should be appreciated even if it’s not fully successful.

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Minions & Monsters opens in theaters on July 1.

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