‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Takes Liberties & Delivers Explosive Fun

Funny, suspenseful, and full of intrigue, Guy Ritchie’s latest film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, plays loose with factual events in service of a smashing good time. Based on a true story and the novel by Damien Lewis (not Damian Lewis), we follow a British team in WWII on a secret mission to take out a Nazi supply chain. The opening scene sets the tone, in which German soldiers board a private yacht. The two men aboard claim to be Swedish fishermen and taunt the Germans as they search the boat. Below deck, a third crewman pops out with a machine gun and begins mowing down the Nazis, which triggers the boys above to take out the other soldiers – quickly, brutally, and comically.

They wave to the nearby German battleship with one of the dead bodies before detonating the massive boat. These are our heroes – soaked in righteous blood, clad in comedy and camaraderie.

British combat tactics in 1942 were still a variation on “civilized” battle, but Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) understands this won’t win the war. Since Hitler isn’t playing by the rules, neither will they. Operation Postmaster is undertaken at his direction, and he makes clear the mission is “unsanctioned, unofficial, and unauthorized.” One of the mission’s objectives is to prove Britain could get its hands dirty when necessary, thereby convincing America to enter the war and increasing the Allies’ chance at victory. The operation heralded a new era of black ops. Among its military staff was Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox), who based his James Bond novels on his experience in the SOE.