Le Ministère de la sale guerre

Dans The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, les héros abattent les nazis avec bien trop d’assurance, sans le moindre suspense quant à la possibilité qu’il leur arrive quelque chose. Même Til Schweiger, l’homme de la Gestapo censé être le plus coriace, ne parvient pas à exprimer quoi que ce soit de menaçant ou de démoniaque. Pourtant, le film contient une bonne quantité de sang et de coups de couteau, de sorte qu’il ne peut être question ici d’un divertissement familial. Il y a également une surabondance de coups de feu et d’explosions qui, dans le cadre des bateaux et de l’océan, donnent à l’ensemble un côté joliment pirate. Mais le plus souvent, Jerry Bruckheimer et Guy Ritchie ne font qu’imiter Inglourious Basterds de Tarantino, certes avec du style et une excellente bande-son, mais avec un scénario dépourvu de dialogues subtils et avec des personnages qui ont l’air cool, mais dont la strucutre interne est au niveau d’un film de Marvel moyen. (14/07/2024)

While it's nothing groundbreaking, it's still a fine, stylish and entertaining Guy Ritchie film with excellent casting. The British army recruits a group of mercenaries to cause trouble for the Nazis and killing Nazis is always fun, just a shame it's not R-rated, because once Alan starts working with his knife, the blood is painfully absent.The caste acting is impressive. Henry Cavill and Jack Reacher (who gets better film by film) rule the roost, sex symbol Eiza Gonzales never gets boring, Til Schweiger as a Nazi is a delight too. It's got a very entertaining pace, nice fun and stylish action and there's plenty of it, the plot isn't great and the tension and atmosphere aren't as intense as Inglorious Basterds, but I had a good time and it's impossible not to like this bunch. 75% (10/05/2024)

Regarding the casualties on both sides, the real Operation Postmaster was a very dull affair, but why on earth does it also pertain to Guy Ritchie's film? Members of No. 62 Commando are supposedly the inspiration for Fleming's legendary spy, but their African mission is just a compilation of lazy writing, sterile posh talk, and action that is as far from authenticity as Churchill was from the role of honorary president of the Abstaining Non-Smokers Club. The only redeeming aspects are small details like the rather uncreative Cleopatra costume, Cavill's charming accent, or the fact that Schweiger is aging into Horst Buchholz. Visually, it certainly deserves a better rating, but specifically for Ritchie, it’s unforgivable that he’s shooting blanks. (20/05/2024)

A relaxing ride for a good mood. Guy Ritchie watched Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds and thought he could make something cool like that too. Well, it's not that good, but it's fun to watch. A stylish wartime flick with a western score, a great Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson as the ultimate killing machine; it doesn't get boring and is shot so casually that it lacks any fatality or major tension. The best action falls in the first half of the film, where they liberate Apple. The passages without the main party are not much fun even though Eiza González is very good at it. This should have gone to the cinema, the ending is at night and the spurting blood is hard to see. (20/05/2024)

Guy Ritchie presents his version of Inglourious Basterds. It really does feel that way at times. But let’s be honest - there’s only one Tarantino under the sun. So, there you go... However, not everything about the film is to be criticized. The introduction of the main crew on the boat was incredibly stylish; Ritchie nailed that. The overall vibrant color palette also worked for me (perhaps the setting on an island near Africa helped). And the acting was top-notch. Whether it’s Henry Cavill enjoying his role or Alan Ritchson, who excelled as the Danish cutthroat Lassen, both delivered excellent performances. The rest of the cast also supported them well. It’s just a shame about the completely over-the-top action finale, which I would categorize more as sci-fi. Ritchie really went off the rails there! In summary, it’s a decent flick, but there was definitely more potential to be mined from it. Nothing cult-worthy here. I give it a 6.5/10. (29/06/2024)