The Mosley Review: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Do you wanna know why we constantly revisit World War II in film? It isn't because it was the greatest war. It isn't because of the enginuity that came from it. Its because it features the most robust stories ever to be told or discovered whether its from the American or the European campaign. There are probably hundreds of classified documents that are still sealed to this day and it is always fascinating to see them revealed. Yes, we love the heroism in the stories about the front lines, but what's more interesting to see is the internal planning of all Allied Forces and how they're plans get executed. Whether they succeed or fail is the real drama and the stuff of legend that ends up inspiring fictional characters we all know and love. That is what this film lovingly highlights and I have to say it was a smooth and joyful ride has good suspense with great action and comedy. The tone was a bit off at times as it would struggle with wanting to be a smart espionage driven story and a adventure film with little consequence for the heroes in the story.
Henry Cavill truly charms every moment he's on screen as Gus March-Phillipps. He was a fun leader of the ragtag team of mercenaries and I liked his controlled nature. He never really seemed to have doubts, but he did have a moment or too that he felt challenged. The amount of glee and calm he has in this film was cool in the more action driven scenes. The most standout moment of the film truly comes from his introductive scene as within in five minutes, you understand the man and his motivation. Alan Ritchson was good and brutal as his fellow merc, Anders Lassen. I liked the banter he had with Gus as the film went along and how eager and efficient of a Nazi killer he was. Henry Golding was fun and smart as the explosive expert of the team, Freddy Alvarez. The banter between him and Anders was fun as they would tease each other often. Hero Fiennes Tiffin was good as Henry Hayes and even though he didn't have that much depth, he was effective and a valued navigator in the war occupied Atlantic Ocean. Alex Pettyfer was cool and collected as Gus's oldest friend, Geoffrey Appleyard. You really felt the bond and history between them in the scenes that they had together. Cary Elwes is always a joy to see on screen and as Brigadier Gubbins 'M', he was perfectly royal and commanding as the leader of the secret operation the team is recruited for. Freddie Fox was good as the iconic Ian Fleming and I loved that he was apart of the operation from beginning to end. He wasn't a forgotten character and I liked that he seemed to plotting out his soon to be famous character. Rory Kinnear was fantastic and steadfast as Winston Churchill. He had a dominating presence and sense of urgency that is needed for the legendary Prime Minister. Eiza González and Babs Olusanmokun were fantastic as Marjorie Stewart and Mr. Heron. Their chemistry together was great and I enjoyed their convert planning and business deals. Eiza charms the screen with such control in her more tense dialogue scenes and Babs was that quiet type of dangerous that you never saw coming. Til Schweiger is always intense as a hero or villain and as Heinrich Luhr, there is an amount of sinister motivation in his eyes that made him the marquee antagonist.
The score by the director's frequent collaborator, Christopher Benstead, was good, quirkie and epic toward the end of the film. I felt the tension in the finale the most thanks to his score as the action kicks off and the plan doesn't go as smooth. Like I said before, the tone was a little all over the place at times since you have so many parts moving at once. Director Guy Ritchie's flair for elaborate planning was on display, but it felt a little rusty in its execution. Its a massive cast so not everyone has a chance to have a moment to shine outside of the action. Maybe some of them didn't really have much to work with or the real people in the true story the film was based on weren't that deep. Either way, I still had fun with the film and I enjoyed the action. Is it gonna be one of the most memorable films of Guy Ritchie's filmography, no, but it'll be a fun one to view once in awhile. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
