What level of violence do you find tolerable in the films you choose to watch? MPA (Motion Picture of America) ratings are sometimes helpful in judging how extreme the violence might be in a particular film; it’s even better when there’s an included caveat. Rated R for language, nudity, and gun violence would give you an idea. Those notes are not always specific. If you watch the trailer and see the rating, you may be prepared. However, it’s the gratuitous nature of the violence that’s not always evident.
And that’s what my reviews hope to correct…you can be sure that if there’s violence against women or children or gratuitous violence, I’ll call it out. Those images live in my brain for far too long.
“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is a war film loosely based on real incidents in World War II. It lands on about a Quentin Tarrentino level of violence. This is a film by British director, Guy Ritchie, who’s given us gangster films like “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” and witty, violent Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr. Knowing this filmmaker’s work helped prepare me for some over-the-top action scenes, plenty of wisecracking, and a heaping helping of violence.
“Ungentlemanly Warfare” is directed, co-written and co-produced by Ritchie. It’s loosely based on incidents from the book Churchill’s Secret Warrior: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII (Damien Lewis, 2014).
There’s a large cast of both British and International actors. It’s nice to see a meaty role for Cary Elwes as Brigadier Gubbins ‘M’. It’s odd to have a film that’s attempting to be a spy comedy action thriller. It wants to be all things at once. The British agents play it straight with Winston Churchill’s cabinet working behind the scenes to repel the Nazis, empathizing the gravity of the situation. Meanwhile, the lead characters waltz in murdering Nazi soldiers as if they’re in a video game. The lead character, Gus March-Phillipps, a mustache-stroking Henry Cavill, is as quick with a sarcastic quip as he is with a firearm. Gus is given a funny quirk that he fancies coats.
It’s interesting to note that Cavill is being considered for the new James Bond and in this film, he’s playing a character based the real man that inspired Ian Fleming to create his famous spy. There’s even a fake movie trailer featuring him and Margot Robbie as if they’re starring in “James Bond 26”.
The black-ops team of crusaders includes actors portraying a mix of both real men from the real Operation Postmaster, and invented characters. Henry Golding plays the demolition man. Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays an Irish seaman (Henry Hayes) skilled enough to navigate past the German U-boats, and there’s a hilarious turn by Alan Ritchson as the Nordic huntsman, Anders Lassen.
Ritchson is a huge man and very fun in his scenes. His character, Lassen, is a skilled archer. He comically does not follow the team but rather acts as his own one-man army. Watching him skewer Nazi guards, shooting them dead in their watch towers with arrows as he runs through a garrison is amusing. Witnessing Lassen kill young soldiers with an axe and re-using the same arrows to stab people is gruesome.
“Ungentlemanly Warfare” gives us one female character amongst all this testosterone and war carnage. Eiza González sports elaborate hairdos, a dizzying array of costume changes and gets to showcase her character’s skill with firearms. Her mission involves using her feminine wiles and she’s mostly tasked with trying to seduce the lead Nazi villain. Heinrich Luhr is the SS Commander in charge, played with an evil smirk by Til Schweiger. He’s a real monster who relishes inflicting pain. He’s introduced literally washing blood off his hands.
While the violence is cartoonish with hundreds of soldiers being blown up, mowed down by machine guns, and casually shot while the “good guys” stroll along the promenade, there are scenes of gruesome violence. Our introduction to the SS Commander includes a lingering look at the corpse of the black woman he’s just finished torturing and killing. There’s also a moment that’s played for laughs when our huntsman, Lassen, cuts out the heart of a Nazi. That moment is thankfully, mostly offscreen.
Obviously, this film is not a documentary. Guy Ritchie is playing with the concept of larger-than-life characters given one or two characteristics to drive the narrative. If those characters are given backstories that make them hate Nazis, they can be shown to kill them with relish. The narrative does draw attention to some amazing undercover operations that were only recently revealed with the declassification of Churchill’s papers. This is an action-packed spy thriller with a few fun characters played with relish by talented actors. Most of the violence is cartoonish but brace yourself for some gruesome scenes. It’s not realistic but rather treats war as if it’s a video game spectacle.
Drinks With Films rating: 2 glasses of fine Spanish wine while pretending to be spy (out of 5)
Drinks with films 