By Gilberto Campa
When it comes to larger-than-life characters that are based off actual people from history, having a loose connection often makes for a more entertaining story. Usually with that type of storytelling having a director who can visually and thematically balance that in the best way. Guy Ritchie for much of his career has been an innovator while specializing in sharp dialogue, fun adventures and very animated personalities that enhance the overall story. In the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, World War two is just beginning to escalate and much of the European countries are suffering because of the rise of Nazi Germany, especially England. So, refusing to give into the fear and the pressure from the German’s, Winston Churchill took a chance and launched operation postmaster and had everything on the line by putting the fate of England’s future on a rag tag group of men with troubled past’s who were far from perfect gentleman.
The main leader of this group of mercenaries, hunters and all-around spies were led by Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) who was the wildest of the bunch (and had the best beard/mustache I’ve seen in a while), but also enjoyed the nicer things in life and Cavill had a fun time playing this character compared to some of his other roles, especially down to the facial expressions. The rest of the group is made up of many familiar faces from previous Guy Ritchie films, but the newest addition to the Ritchie universe was the biggest standout of the entire movie. Known for his hit series on Amazon Prime and many other action franchises, Alan Ritchson portrays Anders Lassen who was a short and unassuming Danish jack of all trades.
Ritchson hammed up the charisma and the Danish accent to comedic proportions but had the best action scenes in the movie, which wasn’t by accident. When you are standing next to the guy who played Superman for ten years and towering over him by a wide margin, you are truly a one-of-a-kind specimen with a presence that not too many actors have. The story has much of Ritchie’s fast cutting and over the top, almost superhero like action sequences that really drive the movie, but what really makes this movie solid is the character work that is taking place. Eiza Gonzalez who portrayed Marjorie Stewart (a Jewish spy for the British Intelligence) delivers probably the most complex performance of her career which has been more of a mixed bag (party due to bad choices) and her role was fun to watch as she got to do a lot. Overall, this movie feels almost like a hidden gem compared to everything else coming out this year. A fun and entertaining look at a very important time in the history of the world, and for fans of the Bond series of books and movies, there is a big surprise in the movie for you if you know what to look for.
The Verdict: