Prime Video has a new number one movie that combines World War 2 action with a complete irreverence for historical fact and a real sense of fun.
That movie is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is currently Prime Video’s number one movie in 64 countries according to Flixpatrol, including the UK.
Live in the US? The film is not yet available through one of the streaming services, but you can rent it from one of the usual suspects, including Apple TV and Amazon Video.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is directed by Guy Ritchie, and sees Henry Cavill star as Gus March-Phillips, the head of a crack team of crack operatives charged with disabling the German U-boat fleet.
This was a real event, part of a mission dubbed Operation Postmaster undertaken in 1942. But as you might imagine, the film’s take on it bears almost no relation to the real deal.
What works for a cinematic action movie and what works for a history documentary aren’t always the same.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is the kind of film you might picture doing well among audiences, less so among the critics. But it was fairly well-reviewed too.
It sits at 69% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes, easily beating 2023’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre from Ritchie, a similarly irreverent action film starring Jason Statham that has a 51% freshness rating.
Empire’s review of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare sums up this flick nicely.
“This is a perfectly undemanding watch. Just don’t watch it with a historian,” the review reads, also describing it as “part derring-do spycraft, part bullet-riddled action, part impish comedy, and all-parts silly.”
Sounds quite fun, right?
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’s runtime is dead on two hours, but it’s not necessarily suitable for the whole family.
It’s rated R in the US, and 16+ according to the film’s Amazon listing. It hasn’t been rated by the BBFC, as far as we can tell, because it was never given a proper theatrical release in the UK.
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