Summary
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfareis based on a true story that takes place during the height of World War 2. Gus March-Phillipps, who is played by Henry Cavill ofSupermanandNetflix’sThe Witcherfame for nerds, is a disgraced soldier, brought in to do an impossible mission involving sabotaging the Nazis in the occupied city of Fernando Po. Gus then gathers together a team, and mishaps ensue.
For a movie based on real events,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfaredoes a good job of establishing a style to keep things lively. Part of that style comes out with the snappy dialogue, and there is a great deal of it to enjoy throughout the movie’s runtime. Though there are many lines featured that are sure to remain in viewers' minds long after the movie ends, some are more memorable than others for various reasons.
8“I Don’t Think It’s Working Lassen.”
Gus March-Phillipps
The opening toThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfareis intense because a group of Nazis boards a fishing vessel looking for trouble. Thetwo visible fishermen, Gus and Anders, don’t seem to have a problem with anything. That’s because they know the rest of the crew are hard at work stealthily waiting to strike back.
Once they do finish off the Nazis, Anders tries to use the Nazi captain to signal back to the command ship that everything is okay. It’s like a German version ofWeekend at Bernie’s. That’s when Gus says this line to Anders, suggesting that the plan might not be working.
7“I Must Get Me One Of Those Coats.”
The movie then goes into a flashback to show how Gus was recruited for this dangerous mission. In the tribunal, Gus is pilfering things around the conference room as Brigadier Gubbins, and the others go through the mission.
From matches to cigars, Gus’ sticky fingers know no bounds. This all leads up to Gus eyeing Ian Fleming’s coat, which is when he says this line. The movie then smash cuts to Gus walking out with his coat. This joke is called back to later when Gus steals a Nazi coat. Also of note, Ian Fleming based hisJames Bond characteron Gus in real life.
Marjorie Stewart
This line is said by Marjorie who, along with Mr. Heron, is working on a storage mission from Gus. This scene takes place on a train wherein the two are discussing cuisine from French to Italian. They eventually settle on the three things on the menu, which are German delicacies.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfareaims to be a lot like aQuentin Tarantino movie, specificallyInglourious Basterds. This scene in particular tries to call back to the witty banter of unimportant conversations in his movies and provides a pretty humorous scene as a result.
5“Bloody Hell, What Happened To Your Nipples?”
Freddy Alvarez
Before sailing to Fernando Po for the main mission, Gus and the others have to drop by a Nazi compound to rescue their teammate Geoffrey Appleyard, who wascaptured on a spying mission. Once they find him, Geoffrey is tied up with his nipples clamped to a battery.
It looks quite painful, which is why Freddy chimes in with this obvious retort. He was a bit late to the party, and in general, Freddy has a habit of stating the obvious throughoutThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It makes for some fun comedic banter at several points during the harrowing adventure, offering enjoyable laughs during unexpected moments.
4“I Not Only Respect The Jew, I Am A Jew.”
There are a lot of intense scenes inThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfarebetween Marjorie and Heinrich Luhr, the main Nazi commander of Fernando Po. Heinrich is rightfully suspicious of any new visitors in the city, even if they are pretty and seem interesting, like Marjorie.
The reason why Marjorie, an actress, is fighting back against the Nazis in the first place is because she has Jewish heritage. She feels a need to get revenge for her people beyond doing what is right. So, in this scene, she reveals that about herself, even though she later frames it as a joke to put Heinrich on edge.
3“No!”
Mr. Heron & Kambili Kalu
Mr. Heron and Marjorie go to visit a local arms dealer, Kambili Kalu, to get his help for the upcoming battle. To get him to agree, Marjorie demonstrates how useful she is with weaponry, from rifles to machine guns and pistols.
She hits every mark with perfect precision, like she was a sniper in the titularSniper Eliteseries. To finish off her demonstration, she pulls the pin of a grenade, which is when Mr. Heron and Kambili react together as that is completely unnecessary and would have attracted too much attention.
2“Please, F**k Off.”
The whole plan behind Gus’ crew is that they have to sink U-Boats and not get caught by both the Nazis and British Empire. If they do, they are on their own, which leads to a dramatic scene with the upper brass discovering Brigadier Gubbins conversing with Gus over the radio.
As this commander is trying to shut the operation down, Gus creates artificial static and ends the conversation with a big old F-Bomb before dropping out. Brigadier Gubbins adds to this by telling the Sergeant that spied on them for the upper brass, “I also suggest you f**k off, Sergeant.”
1“Yeah…But No.”
The best scene between Marjorie and Heinrich Luhr happens during the epic final battle in Fernando Po. Heinrich believes he has cornered Marjorie, revealed her allegiance to her Jewish people, and has soldiers surrounding her. Marjorie’s response to this is a hidden pistol to Heinrich’s head, like she’san assassin fromAssassin’s Creed.
One clean bullet to the head spells the end for this Nazi officer. It’s great that she gets the last laugh with Heinrich and that the opportunity isn’t given to one of the men on the team.
