So to get my rant out of the way first, Guy Ritchie really needs to stop this recent release pattern he's been doing of only releasing his films theatrically in the US. It feels particularly baffling in this movies case since it's such a British story through and through. At best it feels like a dumb business decision but at worst it feels mildly insulting as a viewer that I have to wait longer to see this film without even getting the luxury of seeing it in a theatre.
That aside though this was a pretty fun ride and even if it isn't Guy Ritchie's best work it's got more than enough of his usual tropes to keep his die hard fans happy. It's filled with razor-sharp dialogue and flashy editing with a lot of great actions scenes that exude energy. The film definitely doesn't try to hide its influences, which brings about it's own issues, and it ends up feeling like the closest we'll ever get go a seeing Ritchie Bond film. Unfortunately though it does ultimately feel like something of a pale imitation of not only Bond but also Inglorious Basterds and it did end up making the story feel a bit derivative.
But the characters really are the best and worst thing about this movie. They're all entertaining to watch and have fantastic chemistry but they're ultimately very light on backstory and development. We learn basically everything that Ritchie wants us to know about them in the first 15 minutes and after that they only really have one or two attributes designed to make them stand out from the rest of the ensemble. Thankfully the actors are so well cast (Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson are absolutely the scene stealers here) that it always kept things at the very least entertaining.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare doesn't represent Guy Ritchie at his best but it at least confirms that he's not losing any of his energy as a filmmaker. It's pretty bare from a character and story point-of-view but it was never anything less than entertaining for me. It might sound petty but my biggest issue really comes down to the actual release and in the one-in-a-million chance Guy Ritchie ever reads this review: I'd love to see another movie of yours in a theatre.
That aside though this was a pretty fun ride and even if it isn't Guy Ritchie's best work it's got more than enough of his usual tropes to keep his die hard fans happy. It's filled with razor-sharp dialogue and flashy editing with a lot of great actions scenes that exude energy. The film definitely doesn't try to hide its influences, which brings about it's own issues, and it ends up feeling like the closest we'll ever get go a seeing Ritchie Bond film. Unfortunately though it does ultimately feel like something of a pale imitation of not only Bond but also Inglorious Basterds and it did end up making the story feel a bit derivative.
But the characters really are the best and worst thing about this movie. They're all entertaining to watch and have fantastic chemistry but they're ultimately very light on backstory and development. We learn basically everything that Ritchie wants us to know about them in the first 15 minutes and after that they only really have one or two attributes designed to make them stand out from the rest of the ensemble. Thankfully the actors are so well cast (Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson are absolutely the scene stealers here) that it always kept things at the very least entertaining.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare doesn't represent Guy Ritchie at his best but it at least confirms that he's not losing any of his energy as a filmmaker. It's pretty bare from a character and story point-of-view but it was never anything less than entertaining for me. It might sound petty but my biggest issue really comes down to the actual release and in the one-in-a-million chance Guy Ritchie ever reads this review: I'd love to see another movie of yours in a theatre.
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