The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
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A group of daring operatives embarks on a covert mission to disrupt Nazi supply lines during World War II.
The story
In late 1941, during World War II, the United Kingdom struggles to halt Nazi Germany's attempts to take over Europe, with London regularly bombed by the Luftwaffe and supply and aid ships constantly sunk by German submarines. Brigadier Colin Gubbins initiates Operation Postmaster, a covert sabotage mission to disrupt U-boat resupply operations on Spanish-controlled Fernando Po. SOE agents Marjorie Stewart and Richard Heron depart by train while Gubbins enlists Gus March-Phillipps to assemble a ground team to destroy the Italian supply ship Duchessa d'Aosta and two tugboats. The team must navigate a dangerous mission to intercept the ships before they can be used by the enemy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In late 1941, during World War II, the United Kingdom struggles to halt Nazi Germany's attempts to take over Europe. Brigadier Colin Gubbins initiates Operation Postmaster, a covert sabotage mission to disrupt U-boat resupply operations on Spanish-controlled Fernando Po. SOE agents Marjorie Stewart and Richard Heron depart by train while Gub11enlist Gus March-Phillipps to assemble a ground team to destroy the Italian supply ship Duchessa d'Aosta and two tugboats. Gus and his allies Henry Hayes, Freddy Alvarez, and Danish Army officer Anders Lassen sail to Fernando Po on the Maid Honour. They divert to a German-controlled section of La Palma to rescue SOE saboteur Geoffrey Appleyard from the Gestapo. Marjorie and Heron use an 'illegal' gambling hall on Fernando Po to recruit backup for Gus's team. Marjorie charms Heinrich Luhr, the SS commander in charge. After learning the Duchessa's plans, Gus sails through a British naval blockade of Nazi-occupied West Africa. Marjorie and Heron learn that Luhr has reinforced the Duchessa's hull. Gus and Appleyard decide to hijack the ships after a mole reveals the mission to senior command. The raid is successful, and Marjorie shoots Luhr in the head. Delivering the boats to a British fleet outside Lagos, the team is arrested but later added to Winston Churchill's 'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare'. A montage reveals the characters' later lives: Gus becomes a war hero and marries Marjorie; Appleyard receives commendations; Hayes becomes a spy; and Ian Fleming uses the operation as inspiration for his James Bond novels.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guy Ritchie
- Writers
- Paul Tamasy · screenplay; Eric Johnson · screenplay; Arash Amel · screenplay; Guy Ritchie · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Henry Cavill · Gus March-Phillipps; Eiza González · Marjorie Stewart; Alan Ritchson · Henry Hayes; Alex Pettyfer · Freddy Alvarez; Hero Fiennes Tiffin · Anders Lassen; Babs Olusanmokun · Geoffrey Appleyard; Henrique Zaga · Richard Heron; Til Schweiger · Heinrich Luhr; Henry Golding · unknown; Cary Elwes · unknown
- Genres
- war; action; spy
- Themes
- War; Espionage; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Action-packed; Fictionalized
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical Fiction; War; Spy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by Damien Lewis
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews but was a box-office bomb, though it found success on digital platforms.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 38; PostTrak · score: 88%
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Turkey.; Ian Fleming used Operation Postmaster as inspiration for his James Bond novels.; The film was based on a book published in 2014.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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