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Posted: |
Apr 25, 2024 - 10:42 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (2024) – 8/10
It’s been 35 years since one of Alistair MacLean’s adventure novels has been adapted to the big screen. So, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Guy Ritchie have endeavored to fill the gap for that type of film with THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, a film that can slide in right next to WHERE EAGLES DARE and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE when it comes to World War II action tales.
The main thing that the current film is missing is star power. In that department, we must content ourselves with the likes of Henry Cavill, Cary Elwes, and Henry Golding—a far cry from Burton, Eastwood, Peck, and Niven. But it doesn’t much matter that we have no stars, since the film doesn’t spend enough time with them for us to get to know them any more than their brief introductions to us.
The five-man team that takes on the mission of destroying the ship that supplies Hitler’s U-boats is made up of men of varying skills—a demolitions guy (natch), an archer (for taking out those sentries silently), a weapons expert, a navigational genius, etc. They must travel to the West African coast, to the Spanish-controlled island Fernando Po. There, a local club owner (Babs Olusanmokun) and his female confederate (Eiza González) must figure out a way to keep the local German garrison, led by an SS Commander (Til Schweiger), occupied during the raid.
In place of stars, there is plenty of combat action, some good pyrotechnics, and, despite a few hiccups, the sense that the mission comes off just a bit too easily. Perhaps that’s due to a short running time of 2 hours. It’s rare for me to complain that a film is too short, but at times, MINISTRY seems rushed. Interestingly, it is exactly 38 minutes shorter than both WHERE EAGLES DARE and the GUNS OF NAVARONE, both of which seem to have more substance, and suspense, to them. But, we are assured, MINISTRY is based on a true story—one that led a member of the British Naval Intelligence Division that organized the mission, Ian Fleming (played by Freddie Fox), to create the character of James Bond. So there’s that. Still, as these “stiff upper lip” British war films go, this is probably as good as we are going to see these days.
The film has a score with some real themes, and the infectious main title—a guitar and whistling-based theme—would fit right in to any Italian western. The score is by Christopher Benstead, who also does the guitar playing and whistling. So far, I haven’t found any score release, digital or otherwise.
The film came in at a reasonable $60 million. But unless you are Quentin Tarantino, a World War II-based film is not likely to be big box office, and MINISTRY had an opening week of just $11 million in the U.S. But it hasn’t opened in Britain yet, or elsewhere internationally, so maybe things will pick up. But that title is doing the film no favors.
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Posted: |
Apr 26, 2024 - 6:11 AM
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By: |
TominAtl
(Member)
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THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (2024) – 8/10
It’s been 35 years since one of Alistair MacLean’s adventure novels has been adapted to the big screen. So, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Guy Ritchie have endeavored to fill the gap for that type of film with THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, a film that can slide in right next to WHERE EAGLES DARE and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE when it comes to World War II action tales.
The main thing that the current film is missing is star power. In that department, we must content ourselves with the likes of Henry Cavill, Cary Elwes, and Henry Golding—a far cry from Burton, Eastwood, Peck, and Niven. But it doesn’t much matter that we have no stars, since the film doesn’t spend enough time with them for us to get to know them any more than their brief introductions to us.
The five-man team that takes on the mission of destroying the ship that supplies Hitler’s U-boats is made up of men of varying skills—a demolitions guy (natch), an archer (for taking out those sentries silently), a weapons expert, a navigational genius, etc. They must travel to the West African coast, to the Spanish-controlled island Fernando Po. There, a local club owner (Babs Olusanmokun) and his female confederate (Eiza González) must figure out a way to keep the local German garrison, led by an SS Commander (Til Schweiger), occupied during the raid.
In place of stars, there is plenty of combat action, some good pyrotechnics, and, despite a few hiccups, the sense that the mission comes off just a bit too easily. Perhaps that’s due to a short running time of 2 hours. It’s rare for me to complain that a film is too short, but at times, MINISTRY seems rushed. Interestingly, it is exactly 38 minutes shorter than both WHERE EAGLES DARE and the GUNS OF NAVARONE, both of which seem to have more substance, and suspense, to them. But, we are assured, MINISTRY is based on a true story—one that led a member of the British Naval Intelligence Division that organized the mission, Ian Fleming (played by Freddie Fox), to create the character of James Bond. So there’s that. Still, as these “stiff upper lip” British war films go, this is probably as good as we are going to see these days.
The film has a score with some real themes, and the infectious main title—a guitar and whistling-based theme—would fit right in to any Italian western. The score is by Christopher Benstead, who also does the guitar playing and whistling. So far, I haven’t found any score release, digital or otherwise.
The film came in at a reasonable $60 million. But unless you are Quentin Tarantino, a World War II-based film is not likely to be big box office, and MINISTRY had an opening week of just $11 million in the U.S. But it hasn’t opened in Britain yet, or elsewhere internationally, so maybe things will pick up. But that title is doing the film no favors.
Spot on review, totally agree with everything. And I also looked for a score release, which to me is the best I've heard as in film this year. Cool, thematic at times, rhythmic and infectious.
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