Film Review

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) — a fun but one-dimensional WWII spy thriller

The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, based on the book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII, written by Damien Lewis, portrays a fictionalised account of Operation Postmaster. This unauthorised British special operation involved a small force of seven operatives tasked with halting Nazi Germany’s U-boat supplies in the North Atlantic during 1942. The mission takes place far from the front lines in Europe, whisking us instead to the tiny island of Fernando Po, controlled by Spain off the West African coast.

For fans of history and war films, Guy Ritchie’s Ministry may provide a breath of fresh air. It tackles a recently declassified subject drawn from Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s files, as the film notes at the beginning. However, The Ministry of…