WHAT TO WATCH

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (in theaters) 

If you’re a fan of classic Guy Ritchie films, then this is the movie for you. 

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is the best movie Ritchie’s done for years, a return to form full of droll humor and attractive people committing a ton of violence in the director’s unique style. Add in a fantastic cast and a bit more historical groundwork than we’ve come to expect from this type of film, and you get a movie that’s a ton of Ritchie-style fun. If you’ve missed the director doing what he does best, then you definitely want to be in the audience. 

Inspired by the de-classified files of Winston Churchill, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” follows a crew of disreputable fighters on an unsanctioned mission against the Nazis. If they fail, they could be arrested by the British or tortured and killed by the Nazis. If they succeed, they cripple the Nazi’s control of the Atlantic and save Churchill from being pressured into giving in to the Nazis.  

“Warfare” isn’t a deep take on the story, but that’s not what Richie does. Critics sometimes have a problem with directors who don’t constantly re-invent the wheel in their movies, lambasting them for something they’ve seen before. Audiences, however, tend to go to certain movies because they like how that particular director makes wheels. Ritchie is a fun, snappy director, and this is a fun, snappy movie. It does exactly what Ritchie meant it to do, and I for one am thrilled with the result. 

Grade: Three and a half stars

Abigail (in theaters) 

Humor and blood splatter go great together. 

The latest proof of that is “Abigail,” Hollywood’s latest take on the murderous-child trope and overall a bloody good romp. The movie delivers heaping helpings of both laughs and bloody, creative violence, helped along by excellent performances from Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, and Alisa Weir as the killer little girl. You won’t even mind that the movie spoils one of the movie’s big twists, though the script does get a little too distracted with backstory while keeping the secret from the characters. 

The movie starts with a team of criminals who have just kidnapped the young daughter of a scary mob boss. They’re told by the person who hired them to keep the girl at an isolated mansion, but what they don’t realize is that they’ve effectively been trapped there. Will they be able to survive when the hunters become the hunted?

Though the movie is hardly revolutionary in its use of tropes, they’re delivered with the kind of panache that makes it hard to argue. This is especially true with Weir, who manages to be deeply menacing even in a cute little tutu. She also has excellent comic timing, a combination that means you end up cheering her on even when she’s menacing characters the movie’s tried hard to make you fond of. 

If there is one quibble, it’s that the movie tries a little too hard on that front. The cast is all fantastic, charismatic and interesting, but the movie spends too much time on their backstories and exposition dumps. We don’t get to the violence until the start of the second act, which is the real reason we’re all there in the first place. λ

Grade: Three stars