The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare 4K Review
Guy Ritchie's latest adventure gets a wonderful 4K home release.
Guy Ritchie turned his attention to World War II with his latest film, but made sure to keep his signature quippy style. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare debuted in theaters earlier this year to solid reviews but a less-than-stellar showing at the box office, with Henry Cavil and Reacher star Alan Ritchson leading the film's loaded ensemble. A few months later, Lionsgate has brought Ungentlemanly Warfare to audiences at home with a 4K UHD Blu-ray release that will make new viewers think, "Maybe I should've tried to catch this on the big screen."
The Movie
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare depicts the long-untold true story of the first special forces mission of World War II. With Britain on the verge of surrendering to Hitler and Nazi Germany in 1941, Winston Churchill put commissioned a team of outcast soldiers and operatives who didn't mind playing outside the rules. The group, whose existence and tie to Britain had to be kept secret, was tasked with shutting down Germany's U-boat supply chain.
This is a Guy Ritchie movie through and through, and it's one of his better efforts in quite some time. With its quick pacing, humorous violence, and a band of characters living on the edge of madness, it often feels closer to Snatch than some of the filmmaker's more recent fare.
Part of the fun of Warfare is watching a great cast have a ball from start to finish. Cavill wields a fiendish grin that pulls you into the chaos. Henry Golding deploys a comedic timing that many of his other roles have tampered down. Ritchson's Danish accent and arrow skills make him one of the more memorable supporting characters of the year. And then there's Eiza Gonzalez, who nearly steals the show while establishing herself as one of our best young action stars.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a breezy, violent picture featuring a ragtag group of killers with hearts of gold. What's not to love?
The Disc
This release from Lionsgate puts The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare on a 4K disc with a 2160p UHD image in HDR10. Unlike some other discs, this doesn't have a Dolby Vision upgrade, but that's okay. The HDR10 is spectacular enough.
Ritchie shot at some breathtaking locations around Europe for this movie, and the 4K release is able to deliver on so much of that splendor. The seas and landscapes are colorful and brilliantly detailed throughout the film. Another real plus with this 4K delivery is how clear the nighttime scenes come across on a home screen. There's no losing the characters or action in the dark. From top to bottom, this is just a fantastic picture.
The Dolby Atmos audio track may not immediately capture your attention the way the picture does, but that doesn't mean there are any real flaws to it. From gunshots to bombs to ocean waves, there are so many background noises packed into these scenes, yet they never overpower the dialogue. This is an especially great experience if you've got any kind of surround sound set up.
I have to shout out Christopher Benstead's music as well. This is a score that just goes and goes from the moment the film begins, and it sounds electrifying on this Atmos mix.
The Features
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare comes with a delightful 25-minute "making of" featurette on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs. Nearly all prominent members of the cast and creative team are involved and they actually bring some great insight (and humor) to the table. This is one of the rare "making of" situations that actually enhances the film you just watched.
Unfortunately, this is the only real special feature on the release (unless you count the theatrical trailer). It's frustrating to see such a great featurette and then wonder why there's nothing else on the disc. The greatness of that behind-the-scenes doc just makes the absence of other features that much more glaring.
The Verdict
Guy Ritchie's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare feels like one of the films from 2024 that many will discover later on and wonder how they'd missed it in the first place. It's a blast through and through, and Lionsgate's 4K release makes for a great home media experience.
If action and violence aren't your thing, this may not be the movie for you. If you're a big action nerd, though, this 4K is absolutely worth picking up for your collection.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare 4K is available now. A copy was provided for the purpose of this review.
