Ronit J

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) Synopsis:

Discover the first special forces mission in history.

During World War II, the British Army assigns a group of competent soldiers to carry out a mission against the Nazi forces behind enemy lines… A true story about a secret British WWII organization — the Special Operations Executive. Founded by Winston Churchill, their irregular warfare against the Germans helped to change the course of the war, and gave birth to modern black operations.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) Review:

I had been meaning to watch this one since I first saw it listed on Prime Video. I loved watching Guy Ritchie films in my teens and early adulthood. At some point, however, he fell off my radar. Also, he directed that godawful live-action remake of Aladdin, which I am philosophically opposed to. Anyway, the trailer for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) did feel like classic Ritchie, which piqued my interest.

After many weekends of debating over what to watch, I finally decided to catch this one. I wanted to sit back and watch something easy and entertaining. And on that front, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) delivers!

Let me start off by saying I don’t think that glorifying the old days of hyper-masculinity and misogyny is a good thing. I’m not really a fan of those kinds of stories. However, this needs to be said — there is something deeply satisfying about seeing nazis get slaughtered on screen. Especially in today’s times, when those dangerous ideologies are slowly creeping back into relevant discourse.

But, I digress. Let me get back to the topic.

A Stylised Masculine Film Akin To The Old Days

This is a very masculine film. From its heroes with greek-god-like bodies and Superman-like invulnerabilities, to its near absence of a female presence or romance, this film is unapologetically masculine. The guns. The fights. The over-the-top action that glorifies the bravery and rashness of the male hero. Everything in this film echoes the old action film days. Or, the hyper-masculine angry-young-man films that are so popular in India.

All that minus overt misogyny or any problematic ideas. Yes, Marjorie (Eiza Gonzalez) is very clearly a token female presence despite her character being based on a real-life heroine. But, that’s where the female presence in the film starts and ends.

As much as Marjorie’s espionage and slyness add a layer of sensuous thrill, the film’s true heroes are Gus (Henry Cavill), Anders (Alan Ritchson), and the posse. Their fearless and reckless attitudes take them across Nazi-occupied territories where they decimate entire ships and bases with their over-the-top badassery. It’s unreal to the point of seeming ridiculous. Yet, the film embraces this ridicule and makes it a campy feature. The audience is in on the joke, and so it doesn’t feel disingenuous.

It’s style-over-substance, but the storytelling and filmmaking take the subject seriously despite the corny humour.

Not Historically Accurate, Nor Insultingly Stupid

One of the core foundations of masala films (mainstream entertainment films in India) is that they should entertain you without forcing you to think or reflect. But, that is often used as an excuse by big producers to deliver insultingly stupid products of mediocrity. While The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare takes way too many liberties in making the film entertaining and zany, it doesn’t take the audience for granted.

The film establishes enough nuggets of information and planning to scratch the surface of intelligence. What builds from those seeds of strategy does end up as a mindless action-fest, but it doesn’t come at the cost of what made the real-life event so mind-blowingly epic. That’s what I liked about this film. It took itself seriously enough to make its zaniness feel authentic and genuine. We know this is an over-the-top depiction of an already unbelievable achievement, and that’s where the comedy and thrill come from.

Where I do feel the film fails is in its use of female characters. While Marjorie is a sexy femme fatale, her role feels very token and objectified, despite the stakes and seriousness. She ends up killing the main target, but it happens so easily that it robs her character of any glory. Glory, which the rest of the ‘ministry’ has accumulated a ton of.

But, if you look past that—as well as some logical stretches—the film serves to entertain you more than enough to make it feel worth the time.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

As expected, the heroes succeed in their mission. Since the Duchessa was reinforced, our heroes resorted to stealing the boat and towing her towards the British Destroyer that they had encountered. During the finale, Luhr arrests Marjorie for being a Jew. During their escape, Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) frees Marjorie, who in turn shoots Luhr (Til Schweiger) dead before they manage to make contact with our heroes.

They surrender the Duchessa as well as themselves. Later on, all major newspapers cover the operation. Churchill claims our heroes are his personal operatives and rescues them from court-martial. As a result of their actions, the Americans have entered the war against the Nazis, tipping the scales in the Allies’ favour.

Before the credits roll, we get pictures of the real-life heroes and what they did after Operation Postmaster.

Is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) worth watching?

Depends. If you want to mindless entertainment and to watch Nazis get slaughtered, then hell yes. But, don’t go in expecting a profound historical film. It’s not even a stylised alternative like Inglorious Basterds or a black comedy like The Death of Stalin. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a mindless action-comedy, and on that front it is a fantastic film.

I will say this—the climax felt very underwhelming. After the epic action scenes and all that built up tension, the finale happened a little too smoothly. Barely any costs or losses for our heroes. Even the Nazi Luhr dies rather too easily, and our heroes escape Scott-free. The climax also happens in the dark, which makes the action hard to follow. I mean, in a film with so much suspension of disbelief, would it really have mattered if the ending was well-light so we could watch Nazis get obliterated?

In Conclusion:

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) is a fun-filled, entertaining way to spend 2 hours. There’s just something deeply satisfying about seeing Nazis get slaughtered on-screen. Maybe because the real-life Nazis are still out there undermining everything that society has strived to achieve since the end of World War II.

Also check out:

• Heads of State (2025) | Film Review
• The Zone of Interest (2023) | Film Review
• Landscapers (2021) | Series Review
• 28 Weeks Later (2007) | Film Review
• 28 Days Later (2002) | Film Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

Have you watched The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)? What did you think about this film? Let me know in the comments below, along with any film recommendations you’d like me to watch/review.

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