When it comes to hyper-stylized, ultra-violent period pieces about World War II, many moviegoers probably think of the same movie.
And that would be Quentin Tarantino‘s “Inglourious Basterds,” a 2009 epic that chronicled a secret band of Jewish soldiers who were put together with the sole intent of brutally hunting down Nazis.
The idea of a ragtag and clandestine group of eccentric personalities taking it to the evil forces of World War II can also be used to largely describe the 2024 offering of “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” so the comparisons between the two are inevitable.
Directed by Guy Ritchie and featuring a star-studded cast headlined by Henry Cavill, the film focuses on the heavily fictionalized exploits of a real-life secret British group of operatives commissioned by then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill to survey and sabotage various Nazi-occupied parts of Europe.
WARNING: The following trailer contains images of violence that some viewers may find disturbing.
The similarities with “Inglourious Basterds” are apparent, but it’s worth noting that the Tarantino flick was generally lauded as a critical success and a rock-solid commercial success.
While the jury is still out on the latter issue, as far as the critics go, “Ungentlemanly Warfare” appears to be warming up to them rather nicely, at least based on the initial batch of reviews.
IGN called the movie “good” and gave it a seven out of 10, saying the film is “a solid Guy Ritchie take on World War II that tells an incredible, sort-of-true story that’s plucky, punchy, and quite entertaining.”
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The outlet critiqued the movie for “pacing stumbles” and called the film’s storytelling “reductively familiar at times.”
The Associated Press also offered mixed praise.
The AP called “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” a “jauntily entertaining film but also an awkward fusion.”
One issue the outlet took with the film was its insistence on oozing Ritchie’s classic violent style — certainly an acquired taste for many — when a thrilling spy mission can sometimes do better with more stealth and guile.
The Guardian was mixed on the film as well, offering it three stars out of five.
The review effectively called “Ungentlemanly Warfare” just another Ritchie film, but it also dedicated a long paragraph to claiming that there are homosexual overtures in the film, so take that whole review with a grain of salt.
“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” currently sits at 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (audience reviews are not available yet) and is at 7.2 out of 10 on IMDb.
The movie and its unwieldy title come out April 19.
