‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: Henry Cavill Leads a Pack of Inglorious Rogues in Guy Ritchie’s Spirited WWII Coup
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic In “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” British Prime Minister Winston Churchill authorizes an illicit mission to undermine Hitler’s fleet of German U-boats during World War II.
The plan calls for renegades with little respect for the rules, led by a cocky ex-criminal named Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill), who’s released from prison and called into a top-secret briefing.
Oblivious to etiquette, Gus pours himself a tall glass of Scotch, steals an entire box of cigars and struts over to the desk where a priggish-looking officer sits.
Gus palms his lighter, making a fool of the uptight chap, who identifies himself as “Fleming, Ian Fleming.” It doesn’t take an intelligence expert to put two and two together: Gus March-Phillips would later serve as a prototype (one of several) for Fleming’s fictional James Bond character.
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