The latest Guy Ritchie flick “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” has a spine of true story to it, even if it does all it can to amplify a long-declassified World War II tale with enough dead Nazis to make “Inglourious Basterds” blush.
The result is a jauntily entertaining film but also an awkward fusion. Ritchie’s film, which opens in theaters Friday, takes the increasingly prolific director’s fondness for swaggering, exploitation-style ultraviolence and applies it to a real-life stealth mission that would have been thrilling enough if it had been told with a little historical accuracy.
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The latest Guy Ritchie flick “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” has a spine of true story to it, even if it does all it can to amplify a long-declassified World War II tale with enough dead Nazis to make “Inglourious Basterds” blush.
This image released by Lionsgate shows Cary Elwes in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Danny Sapani in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Babs Olusanmokun in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Eiza Gonzalez in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alan Ritchson in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Henry Cavill in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
In 2016, documents were declassified that detailed Operation Postmaster, during which a small group of British special operatives sailed to the West African island of Fernando Po, then a Spanish colony, in the Gulf of Guinea. Spain was then neutral in the war, which made the Churchill-approved gambit audacious. In January 1942, they snuck into the port and sailed off with several ships — including the Italian merchant vessel Duchessa d’Aosta — that were potentially being used in Atlantic warfare.
Sounds like a pretty good movie, right? The story even features James Bond author Ian Fleming, giving it more than enough grist for a WWII whopper. “Operation Postmaster” makes for a better title, too, than the ungainly “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." Ritchie, however, already has an operation — last year's “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” — in his filmography.
Ritchie, who turned Sherlock Holmes into a bulked-up action star, has always preferred to beef up his movies. It’s a less-noted side effect of the superhero era that regular ol’ heroes have been supersized, too, as if human-sized endeavors aren't quite enough anymore. And “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” in which a handful of operatives kill approximately a thousand Nazis, has a fine, brawny duo in Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson.
In the movie’s opening scene, they're relaxing on a small ship in the Atlantic when Germans rush aboard. After a few laughs and a Nazi monologue that plays like a poor man’s version of Christoph Waltz’s masterful oration in “Inglourious Basterds,” the duo makes quick mincemeat of them, leaving blood splattered across the henley shirt of Anders Lassen (Ritchson, a charming standout).
Not much has changed in Ritchie-land, though he’s swapped tweed for skintight tees and cable-knit sweaters in a rollicking high-seas adventure. As in the director's previous movies, everyone — and, as before, nearly all male — seems to be having a good time. Likewise, Ritchie revels in his characters' debonair nonchalance while meting out all manner of savagery.
The assembled group of operatives are said to be delinquents and misfits, though they steadfastly adhere to the polite manners of past Ritchie protagonists. They may kill with bloodthirsty impunity but what really matters is upholding an old-school sense of style. When the undercover agents Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González, who silkily cuts like a knife through the film) and Mr. Heron (Babs Olusanmokun, excellent) ride a Nazi-controlled train on their way to Fernando Po, they look in disgust at the German sausages they're served. Later, someone will say, “I hate Nazis not because they’re Nazis but because they’re so gauche.”
And in proficiently staged set pieces, Ritchie makes his own case for a bit of class. As a journeyman filmmaker now pumping out a movie a year, he's in many ways grown to be a more complete director. He's adept at giving the many members of his large ensemble moments to shine — including Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes, Freddie Fox as Fleming, Til Schweiger as a barbaric Nazi and Rory Kinnear as Churchill.
And once the film — based on the nonfiction book by Damien Lewis — settles into a seedy, sunny West African setting and the nighttime heist finale, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” proves a spirited, if grossly exaggerated diversion.
“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” a Lionsgate release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong violence throughout and some language. Running time: 92 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
This image released by Lionsgate shows Henry Golding in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Cary Elwes in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Danny Sapani in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Babs Olusanmokun in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Eiza Gonzalez in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alan Ritchson in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Henry Cavill in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York early Tuesday, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war that have spread to college campuses nationwide.
Video footage showed protesters on Columbia's Manhattan campus locking arms in front of Hamilton Hall early Tuesday and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building, one of several that was occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest on the campus. Posts on an Instagram page for protest organizers shortly after midnight urged people to protect the encampment and join them at Hamilton Hall. A “Free Palestine” banner hung from a window.
“An autonomous group reclaimed Hind’s Hall, previously known as ”Hamilton Hall,” in honor of Hind Rajab, a martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state at the age of six years old,” CU Apartheid Divest posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, early Tuesday.
The student radio station, WKCR-FM, broadcast a play-by-play of the hall’s takeover – which occurred nearly 12 hours after Monday’s 2 p.m. deadline for the protesters to leave an encampment of around 120 tents or face suspension. Representatives for the university did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment early Tuesday but the Public Safety department said in a statement that access to the Morningside campus has been limited to students living in the residential buildings and employees who provide essential services, such as dining, public safety and maintenance staff. There was just one access point into and out of campus.
“The safety of every single member of this community is paramount,” the advisory said.
In the X post, protesters said they planned to remain at the hall until the university conceded to the CUAD's three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.
Universities across the U.S. are grappling with how to clear out encampments as commencement ceremonies approach, with some continuing negotiations and others turning to force and ultimatums that have resulted in clashes with police. Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah, Virginia and New Jersey, while Columbia said hours before the takeover of Hamilton Hall that it had started suspending students.
The nationwide campus protests began as a response by some students to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while critics of Israel say it uses such allegations to silence opponents. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
At the University of Texas at Austin, an attorney said at least 40 demonstrators were arrested Monday. The confrontation was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the state's capital, where more than 50 protesters were arrested last week.
Later Monday, dozens of officers in riot gear at the University of Utah sought to break up an encampment outside the university president’s office that went up in the afternoon. Police dragged students off by their hands and feet, snapping the poles holding up tents and zip-tying those who refused to disperse. Seventeen people were arrested. The university says it’s against code to camp overnight on school property and that the students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called in.
At Princeton University, 13 people were arrested Monday night including 11 students, after briefly occupying a building that houses its graduate school. They received summons for trespassing and have been barred from campus, President Christopher Eisgruber said in a statement.
The plight of students who have been arrested has become a central part of protests, with the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.
The Texas protest and others — including in Canada and Europe — grew out of Columbia's early demonstrations that have continued. On Monday, student activists defied the 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment. Instead, hundreds of protesters remained. A handful of counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags, and one held a sign reading, “Where are the anti-Hamas chants?”
While the university didn’t call police to roust the demonstrators, school spokesperson Ben Chang said suspensions had started but could provide few details. Protest organizers said they were not aware of any suspensions as of Monday evening.
In a rare case, Northwestern University said it reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago. It allows peaceful demonstrations through the June 1 end of spring classes and in exchange, requires removal of all tents except one for aid, and restricts the demonstration area to allow only students, faculty and staff unless the university approves otherwise.
At the University of Southern California, organizers of a large encampment sat down with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes on Monday. Folt declined to discuss details but said she heard the concerns of protesters and talks would continue Tuesday.
USC sparked a controversy April 15 when officials refused to allow the valedictorian, who has publicly supported Palestinians, to make a commencement speech, citing nonspecific security concerns for their rare decision. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who is an alumnus, and declined to award any honorary degrees.
The backlash, as well as Columbia's demonstrations, inspired the encampment and protests on campus last week week where 90 people were arrested by police in riot gear. The university has canceled its main graduation event.
Administrators elsewhere tried to salvage their commencements and several have ordered the clearing of encampments in recent days. When those efforts have failed, officials threatened discipline, including suspension, and possible arrest.
But students dug in their heels at other high-profile universities, with standoffs continuing at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale and others. Police in riot gear at Virginia Commonwealth University sought to break up an encampment there late Monday and clashed with protesters.
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas, and Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, David Collins, Makiya Seminera and Corey Williams.
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment break the doors to the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since Wednesday, April 17, around 4 a.m. Calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students protesters with the Gaza solidarity encampment move tents from the South West lawn at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over Hamilton Hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment break the doors to the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since Wednesday, April 17, around 4 a.m. Calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment take over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Protesters name it Hind's Hall as an homage to Hind Rajab, who was found dead 12 days after she called for help in Gaza. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment take over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Protesters name it Hind's Hall as an homage to Hind Rajab, who was found dead 12 days after she called for help in Gaza. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since April 17, calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students try to prevent the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from taking over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over the hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students try to prevent the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from taking over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over the hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students protesters with the Gaza solidarity encampment move tents from the South West lawn at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over Hamilton Hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza solidarity encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Student protesters with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment place a keffiyeh on Columbia University's Alma Mater on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight, then took over Hamilton Hall building. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment take over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University naming it Hind's Hall, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Protesters named it Hind's Hall as an homage to Hind Rajab, who was found dead 12 days after she called for help in Gaza. Students have been occupying part of campus calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since April 17, calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
FILE - Part of some estimated 300 students at Columbia University are shown milling around Hamilton Hall on the campus in New York, April 24, 1968. The students are protesting the construction of a gymnasium in a public park and the university's participation in a defense-related program. A couple of students stand on pedestal of the statue of Alexander Hamilton while others hang a poster of Stokely Carmichael from the balcony of the building along with a Viet Cong flag. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)
Police arrive at a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Demonstrators and law enforcement officers clash during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Law enforcement officers hold shields during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Demonstrators stand behind a sign in preparation for police to arrive during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A University of Oregon student carves a design into a stamp to be used on cloth at a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A student at the University of Oregon sets up a sign that reads "Divest from death" as students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A student at the University of Oregon looks into a tent with other students at an encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Pro-Palestinian protesters continued to occupy the grounds at University of California, Los Angeles in front of Royce Hall on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Los Angeles. Security has surrounded the encampment after a skirmish broke out Sunday between the Pro-Palestianian protesters and Israel supporters. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Speakers take turns addressing a rally on Francis Quadrangle at the University of Missouri campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. Students staged a walkout and demonstration calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. The group made up of about 300 peopl, met at Lowry Mall and walked to the Quad and back. (Brian W. Kratzer/Missourian via AP)
A person who declined to give their name maneuvers among tents at an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Barricades torn down by demonstrators are piled in the center of an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Israel supporters look on at a pro-Palestinian encampment in front of Royce Hall at UCLA, Monday, April 29, 2024. Pro-Palestinian supporters joined in a march from their encampment in front of Royce Hall to areas around the campus. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
State troopers arrest a person at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A protester is taken away by University of Texas at Austin police at an encampment on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Student protesters march round their encampment on the Columbia University campus, Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
A sign is shown written over to read "University of Palestine" at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A state trooper pepper sprays protesters at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
State troopers arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
University of South Florida police officers take pro-Palestinian protesters into custody during a march on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
People gather on the grass at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A pro-Palestinian protester is grabbed by University of South Florida police as they begin to clash on campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A pro-Palestinian protester yells "Free Palestine" as she is handcuffed by University of Texas at Austin police on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind as University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Police pepper spray pro-Palestinian protesters blocking police vehicles from leaving the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A student at the University of Oregon is silhouetted in front of a Palestinian flag inside a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A pro-Palestinian protester yells as state troopers stand during a protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April, 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
