| The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Guy Ritchie |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII byDamien Lewis |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ed Wild |
| Edited by | James Herbert |
| Music by | Christopher Benstead |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 122 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million[2] |
| Box office | $29.8 million[3][4] |
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a 2024action comedywar film directed, co-written and produced byGuy Ritchie, and starringHenry Cavill,Eiza González,Alan Ritchson,Henry Golding andAlex Pettyfer. Based on the 2014 bookChurchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII byDamien Lewis, the film portrays a heavily fictionalised version of the role played byWinston Churchill'sSpecial Operations Executive inOperation Postmaster.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare had its premiere on April 13, 2024, in New York, and was released in the United States on April 19, 2024.
In late 1941, duringWorld War II, the United Kingdom struggles to haltNazi Germany's attempts to take over Europe, with Londonregularly bombed by theLuftwaffe and supply and aid ships constantly sunk by Germansubmarines. BrigadierColin Gubbins initiatesOperation Postmaster, acovertsabotage mission to disruptU-boat resupply operations on Spanish-controlledFernando Po.SOE agentsMarjorie Stewart and Richard Heron depart by train while Gubbins enlistsGus March-Phillipps to assemble a ground team to destroy the Italian supply shipDuchessa d'Aosta and two tugboats.
Gus and his allies Henry Hayes, Freddy Alvarez, and Danish Army officerAnders Lassen sail to Fernando Po on the neutral Swedish fishing trawlerMaid of Honor. They divert to a German-controlled section of La Palma to rescue SOE saboteurGeoffrey Appleyard from theGestapo. Gubbins had sent Appleyard ahead hoping Gus would want him on the team. Marjorie and Heron use an 'illegal' gambling hall on Fernando Po to recruit backup for Gus's team. Marjorie seduces Heinrich Luhr, the SS commander in charge. Learning that theDuchessa intends to depart three days early, Gus sails through a British naval blockade of Nazi-occupied West Africa knowing they'll be arrested if their unauthorised mission is discovered.
Marjorie and Heron learn that Luhr has had theDuchessa's hull reinforced despite the Italian attache's reservations. Gus and Appleyard decide their best course of action is to hijack the ships and use them for barter after a mole in Gubbins's staff reveals the mission to senior command. Luhr catches on when Marjorie's act begins to 'slip' but the raid is successful, and Marjorie shoots Luhr in the head. Delivering the boats to a British fleet outside Lagos, the team is arrested. They are spared court-martial whenWinston Churchill adds them to his 'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare'.
A montage before the end credits reveal the later activities of several protagonists: Gus became a war hero helming similar raids and married Marjorie at the start of her acting career; Appleyard received commendations for his role in the mission, much tothe king's amusement; Hayes became an accomplished spy notable for surviving a year of Nazi torture; Lassen took part in raids outside the group until his death in 1945;Ian Fleming, part of Gubbins's inner circle, used Operation Postmaster as inspiration for hisJames Bond novels.[5]
Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to Damien Lewis's book,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill's Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops,[6] in 2015.Guy Ritchie signed on to direct the project in February 2021, from a script byArash Amel, withJerry Bruckheimer producing the film.[7] In October 2022,Henry Cavill andEiza González were set to star, withBlack Bear Pictures co-financing the film and handling sales through Black Bear International with Paramount no longer involved.[8] In February 2023, additional casting includingAlan Ritchson,Henry Golding,Alex Pettyfer andCary Elwes was announced.[9]
Principal photography began on February 13, 2023, inAntalya, Turkey,[10] and wrapped up in April 2023.[11]
The day filming began, it was announcedLionsgate had acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, planning to give it a wide release in 2024, and that select international distribution rights had been sold toAmazon Prime Video.[10]
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare had its premiere on April 13, 2024, in New York and was released in the United States on April 19, 2024, byLionsgate.[12] It was released on premium video on demand services on May 10, 2024.[13] It was later released onDVD,Blu-ray andUltra HD Blu-ray on June 25, 2024 byLionsgate Home Entertainment and internationally byAmazon Prime Video on July 25, 2024. The movie was nominated in 2025 on Saturn Awards.[14]
In the United States,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was released alongsideAbigail andSpy × Family Code: White, and was projected to gross $5–8 million from 2,845 theaters in its opening weekend.[2] The film made $3.7 million on its first day, including $1.45 million from previews.[15] It went on to debut to $9 million, finishing fourth behindCivil War,Abigail, andGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire.[15][16] In its second weekend it dropped 57% to gross $3.86 million, finishing sixth.[17]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 68% of 165 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Cranking up a true story of derring-do into a high-octane action flick that's heavy on spectacle if not suspense,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is another solid entry into Guy Ritchie's pantheon."[18]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled byPostTrak gave it an 88% positive score.[15]
