‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
A review of the film directed by Guy Ritchie
I have to admit that I have been looking forward to watching The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare for quite a while now — for a couple of reasons. The first of these reasons centres on the fact that I am a fan of Henry Cavill and he is one of the main actors in this piece. The second reason is that I have enjoyed some of Guy Ritchie’s work in the past — most notably ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.’ Ritchie directed The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, by the way.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a mish-mash of genres. It’s part war film, part action film and part comedy. It’s based on a book by Damien Lewis (not the actor), entitled Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII which was thusly published in 2014. I haven’t read the book in question but perhaps that is an oversight that should be remedied. I have read some of Lewis’ work in the past and have found it immensely readable even when dealing with complex, even distressing matters (namely warfare and its far-reaching effects).
In The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Cavill plays Gus March-Phillips who is enlisted by Brigadier Colin Gubbins (played here by Cary Elwes) to participate in a very off-the-books black-ops sabotage…
