'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' is uncomplicated, over-the-top, Guy Ritchie-style fun

Director Guy Ritchie doesn't miss when he's completely in his element. His newest feature, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," is a perfect example of Ritchie's confidence in what he's doing and doing it well.

Part spy thriller, part action comedy, and based on true events, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" has a stacked cast featuring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Cary Elwes, Babs Olusanmokun and more.

It's proof positive that a great movie can be fun, flashy and ridiculous, with an uncomplicated plot and still work.

Is "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" real?

Stranger than fiction, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" is based on true events. The screenplay is adapted from the 2014 book, "Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII" by Damien Lewis.

The film follows Prime Minister Winston Churchill's covert British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive, which played a significant part in the victory over Nazi Germany. The organization also laid the groundwork for modern-day black operations.

The special operations team was a band of misfits, each with their own special skill, spearheaded by fearless leader Gus March-Phillipps, played brilliantly and effortlessly by Cavill. Their task? Take down the biggest Nazi U-boat undetected within a designated timeframe.

I love a movie that starts out swinging. In this case, it's also literal as we see Cavill's March-Phillipps, Ritchson's Anders Lassen, Golding's Freddy Alvarez, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin's Henry Hayes spilling Nazi blood on their tiny fishing boat with zero context and a lot of witty one-liners.

It was captivating and perfectly set the tone for the film.

Director Guy Ritchie expertly navigates a significant time in history with finesse and fun

"The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" is everything you want in a movie: the fight scenes are bloody and exciting, the dialogue is tongue-in-cheek, every joke landed, and not one actor felt out of place.

Each actor brought their own sparkle that created a dynamic that meshed and was a truly beautiful bromance to behold. I was especially impressed with Tiffin. His pouty, sad boy act in the fanfiction adaptation "After" was so hard to watch, but here he proved he has the chops to be good when directed well.

Ritchie's success with the "Sherlock Holmes" movies proved he could make a big, boisterous movie and shoot it in a way that feels effortless while easily moving the plot forward.

Ritchie manages to take a small piece of the larger WWII puzzle and make it feel high stakes, even though it was just the beginning of something much bigger.

While Cavill and the gang of misfits are on a mission to blow up Nazi U-boats, their more sophisticated partners in crime, Olusanmokun and Eiza González are getting up close and personal with Nazi soldiers to create distractions and gain more information about their enemy.

All of this is seamlessly woven together and comes together for a big climax.

There's an intriguing plot, likable characters who walk away from big explosions, sniping Nazi soldiers, stealing ships Jack Sparrow-style, a clever intelligence test á la "The Princess Bride," and whacking the enemy with an axe then gleefully waving at your buddies covered in blood.

What more could we ask from a movie?

'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' 4.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Guy Ritchie.

Cast: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Henry Golding, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Eiza González, Babs Olusanmokun and Carey Elwes.

Rating: Rated R for strong language and strong violence throughout.

How to watch: In theaters April 19, 2024.

Meredith G. White is the entertainment reporter for The Arizona Republic |azcentral.com. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter: @meredithgwhite, and email her at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Review: 'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' is violently funny