The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare hit the big screen earlier this year, but only in the US. I wrote about this in length, citing how frustrating and lame such a business decision was, especially when the marketing failed to highlight that the film would not be coming to the rest of the world on the release date. Now, a few months later, the rest of the world can finally watch Guy Ritchie’s WWII action romp starring Henry Cavill. So, should this have been released internationally on the big screen or was dumping it on streaming the better call in the end? Let’s find out.

Set in 1941, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare sees Britain on the ropes during the invasion of the German army in Europe. Bombers fly over London and Churchill, realizing Hitler isn’t playing by the rules, opts to take a page out of his nemesis’ page and go off script. He greenlights Operation Postmaster, which is an off-the-books black-ops mission involving a bunch of hooligans and madmen, tasked with destroying a cargo ship off the west coast of Africa. The key factors with the team assembled, which is comprised of Henry Cavill as Gus March-Phillipps, Alan Ritchson as Anders Lassen, Alex Pettyfer as Geoffrey Appleyard, Henry Golding as Freddy Alvarez, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Henry Hayes, is that they’re not very good at following orders and like to cause mayhem and bloodshed wherever they go. So the mysterious general known only as codename “M” (Cary Elwes) and his assistant, Ian Flemming (House of the Dragon’s Freddie Fox), set the group on a small fishing vessel to infiltrate the island of Fernando Po and cause some mayhem.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is something of an unusual movie, in that the marketing was heavily hinged on Henry Cavill as the lead, but in reality, the heart and soul of the movie comes from Eiza Gonzalez as Marjorie Stewart and Babs Olusanmokun as Heron, two SOE agents already operating on Fernando Po, gathering intel to help the lads out. Most of the high-stakes infiltration and character motivations come within this arc, which makes up over half of the film’s runtime if I had to guess. The pair have to cross paths with vile Nazis, including Til Schweiger as Heinrich Luhr, challenging some nasty energy here, while attempting to keep their cover. Whenever we’re in need of a laugh or an action scene, the film cuts back to the chaps preparing for mayhem or unleashing mayhem. The action isn’t anything to write home about though, especially in the second half where the mission takes place at night and the shift between the two stories can lead to some tonal whiplash. It’s bombastic, but feels a bit generic.

The dialogue is, admittedly, really fun, especially within the Cavill-led subplot. It’s full of zingers and quips, paired with a 1940s Britishness that’s undeniably charming. Cavill’s character tells his compatriots to “have fun” before a murder rampage and he continuously marvels at the German’s jackets, becoming a running joke. The script is filled with old-timey terms like “jolly good” that feels so right in a Ritchie production. On the flip side, there’s not a lot of depth to the characters, especially the five men on the boat, which can make the whole movie feel rather shallow and lacking in substance. I get that this is more of an action movie, but I can’t tell you much of anything about Cavill’s March-Phillipps apart from that he likes jackets and has a pretty wild beard, while Anders likes killing people; ideally with a knife or bow. But their amusement is infectious and it does create a fun viewing experience at the very least and the film is overall expertly cast…with the exception of the supremely talented Rory Kinnear as Churchill. I have no idea what happened there, but to say the mark was missed would be putting it mildly.

The style of the movie isn’t per se very original, but Guy Ritchie is clearly having a blast directing it. Riffing hard on spaghetti westerns thanks to its admittedly awesome score that’s clearly inspired by Ennio Morricone, and Inglorious Basterds due to its story, the movie oozes style, with more closeup insert shots than usual for Ritchie that reinforce the Tarantino comparison. While the broad strokes of the film are inspired by real characters and events, Ritchie elected to throw historical accuracy out the window in favour of making a film that was more fun and more, well, Guy Ritchie. And that’s totally fine as long as you don’t go in expecting this to be true to the source material. For that, read the book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by Damien Lewis, which this book is based on.

In the end, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a serviceable and fun movie, that’s unfortunately lacking in some departments. I have no problem with movies being a little thin, but Ritchie is historically known for having very interesting characters, whether we’re talking The Gentlemen (and its TV show companion), Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, or Wrath of Man. But if you want a dumb fun movie with some cheeky dialogue, this is a fun distraction that’s perfectly mid-tier Ritchie. But I still think releasing the movie exclusively in the US and releasing it on streaming for everyone else months later is an insanely dumb decision. Either do day-to-day, make it streaming exclusive, or do a limited worldwide theatrical run, but don’t create a geographical exclusivity on movies like this.

Suppose you did like the concept of ruffians fighting on Britain’s behalf during WWII. In that case, we’d recommend the TV show Rogue Heroes, which showcases the origins of SAS instead of the early days of SOE. Like The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, it features a similar brand of brash men who are allergic to following the rules.