This is one of those films with a difficult title to remember. Even the ticket taker at Regal stumbled over it as he confirmed our purchase.
“Boy, that’s a mouthful,” he laughed.
We proceeded to sit through 25 minutes of the most violent previews we’ve ever seen. That was a hint of what was to come, despite perky Maria Menounos urging us not to eat our popcorn before the movie, since “I’ll be watching you!” We could have eaten dinner and dessert by the time the movie started.
This is a story based on true events, a secret mission known as Operation Postmaster, and that’s quite disturbing. The film is set in the darkest days of World War II when Hitler was on the brink of world domination. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill needed to give the United States hope that crossing an Atlantic infested with German U-boats was possible. Germany was a seemingly unbeatable foe. England desperately needed help from America.
Have you noticed how movie Germans are not only bloodthirsty, sadistic, and industrious, but are also so blinded by confidence and power that they are routinely duped? It’s a good thing since all was lost at several points in that horrific war, until the Nazis were outwitted and betrayed, in this case by an equally bloodthirsty band of psychopaths who saved the world.
Sort of a mashup of Inglourious Basterds and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I felt this was reminiscent of The Dirty Dozen. That film brought together names like Borgnine, Savalas, Bronson, Marvin, and Cassavetes in an unlikely assemblage that worked. A cast full of tough guys during the 1960s.
In “The Ministry,” Director Guy Ritchie teamed Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, and Elza Gonzalez as the A-Team of espionage and butchery, which is exactly what was needed when going after a Nazi stronghold. It was an utterly covert mission kept at arm’s length from Churchill. Ritchie’s films range from Aladdin to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and 2021’s Wrath of Man. This one kept the tension high and the action virtually nonstop.
Cavill, with his cartoonishly powerful chin hidden by a beard, has played Superman and currently stars in Argyle. He leads Churchill’s team due to his ruthless nature and reputation for breaking all the rules. Alan Ritchson plays Anders Lassen, a muscular bow & arrow-wielding assassin who prefers knives and takes far too much pleasure in killing. His credits include Fast X and Reacher. Elza Gonzalez is currently on Netflix in 3 Body Problem and also has a history with the Fast franchise.
And guess who was part of Churchill’s team? Ian Fleming! What better classroom for character development in a subsequent career as the creator of James Bond?
In a way, this story has many elements that make Bond stories work. Impossible missions overcoming improbable odds, with a cast of heroes and villains that are devoid of conscience when in the duty of God and Country. Well, at least Country.
Ritchie makes effective use of close-ups and dampened audio to build tension during scenes in which Nazi bad guy Heinrich Luhr (fictional, played by Til Schweiger ) is seduced by Marjorie Stewart (a real person but portrayed as a Mata Hari type here.)
You’ll need to be able to stomach extreme warfare violence to sit through this film. Ritchie seems to relish shock value. Perhaps that’s how he stayed married to Madonna for eight years.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) runs 2 hours and is rated R.
The two books below belong to the "Park Ridge Memories" series which portrays life during the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. Two collections of true stories take you from the Cuban Missile Crisis to The Summer of Love, Hot Dog Day to a trip down I-57 at 137mph, with lots of other stops in between. These books are about a place, but also a time, and lots of shared memories. Click on the image to find out more.
