Guy Ritchie’s new star-studded film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare includes an unmissable tribute to Sir Sean Connery’s James Bond thanks to the movie’s intriguing 007 link.
However, miss it you might as it’s a subtle nod to the legacy of Britain’s greatest fictional spy – but brilliantly satisfying once you’re aware – so we’ll give you the inside track.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is based on recently declassified files from the British War Department during World War Two, revealing the first-ever special forces organisation formed under the order of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
And after being released in the US back in April, the long wait for British audiences to enjoy this uniquely British tale is now over, with the film released on Prime Video on July 25.
Known as the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the top-secret combat unit undertook espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe to aid the resistance.
Among the military individuals involved was Bond creator and author Ian Fleming, in his role working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division, and he appears in Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare portrayed by Freddie Fox.
Alongside fictional characters, other real-life figures in the movie’s mission also include Gus March-Phillipps (Henry Cavill), Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer), Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and Alan Ritchson as Anders Lassen.
And it’s Reacher star Ritchson as Danish officer and Victoria Cross recipient Lassen who helped incorporate a special 007 reference in honour of Fleming.
The movie’s military consultant, Paul Biddiss, explained how he worked alongside director Ritchie, producer and second unit director Max Keene and the cast to suggest the best ways for them to convince in their roles – and with the film.
Ritchson was an especially keen collaborator, taking a suggestion of Biddiss’ keenly on board for one scene.
‘He’s on his own in the bunker and he’s fighting all those guys, and he quickly swivels around and takes aim at the soldier, doing what we call a three-quarter hip draw,’ Biddiss revealed to Metro.co.uk.
‘I explained to him what the three-quarter hip draw was and where it came from. In the first 007 montage – when you see 007, Sean Connery – he does the three-quarter hip draw.’
This manoeuvre came directly from Fleming’s own playbook as well, as Biddiss stated that one of the advisors was a friend of Fleming’s ‘who was an SOE agent who he’d worked with, and he’d taught him the three-quarter hip draw’.
Given that Fleming also appears in the film and was part of the SOE, Biddiss suggested a ‘full circle’ moment, and Ritchson was only too happy to oblige and learned the draw.
‘He smashed it, he looked really good,’ enthused Biddiss, praising the fact that in a picture of Sir Sean Connery pulling off the move compared with Ritchson ‘it’s the exact same stance’.
‘And Guy loved it,’ he added.
Biddiss – who has also worked with filmmakers including Sir Ridley Scott (Napoleon, Gladiator II) and Sir Sam Mendes (1917) – also used his research and expertise to help suggest the right types of ‘weapons and devices’ that could be used onscreen.
It allowed for another Fleming Easter egg.
‘Fleming wanted to write about these [SOE] missions – but he wasn’t allowed. So, his way around it was James Bond. Some of the gadgets you see in some of the early James Bonds were gadgets that were used by the SOE.’
Therefore, Biddiss shared the research he had about those items, suggesting things like chain bombs to use in the movie.
The film is based on the 2014 book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by author, filmmaker and former war correspondent Damien Lewis.
For anyone wondering about the guns featured in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Welfare too, which come across as looking, acting and sounding rather modern – they are actually grounded mostly in historical fact too, even if the film takes liberties with the real mission.
Sten guns were already being used in the 1940s, while Sterling submachine guns and suppressors were being developed.
‘On Operation Postmaster, they didn’t have them – but it’s something that Guy Ritchie liked, and it played into the type of story because the amount of people they were going to be shooting. You wouldn’t have got away with that with Thompson submachine guns,’ Biddiss explained.
‘Guy wanted everything being suppressed. He wanted stealth and lots of silent killing before going loud.’
And in terms of star Cavill’s gun, Biddiss reveals it was ‘a prototype’ that was being tested at the time – although not operationally.
‘However, this being Black Ops and deniable, there’s no one to say that it wasn’t,’ he pointed out.
Biddiss, who has 24 years’ service as a paratrooper in the British Army in his back pocket, appreciates that making a movie about a military operation that was only recently declassified allows for a fair amount of creative interpretation.
That’s the same too for other films he’s worked on, even when more is commonly known about their subjects – like Napoleon. It’s his job to work too with the director’s vision and desires.
‘We are making movies, we’re not making documentaries. Sometimes there’s going to be some artistic license.’
He’s previously collaborated with Ritchie on 2021’s Wrath of Man starring Jason Statham, and Netflix hit show The Gentlemen – although it took him a moment to understand the tone the Snatch filmmaker wanted for this.
‘At first, I thought it was going be serious. Then as we got more into it, I started to realise this was more of a tongue in cheek caper. It was a typical Guy Ritchie, you know. These were soldier gangsters as opposed to gangsters, and it’s the way he wanted to portray it.’
However, it didn’t bother Biddiss, approaching the film with more of an action-comedy tone.
‘There’s always going to be someone that’s unhappy, there’s always going to be the purists that can’t get it in their heads that it is entertainment. But for this one, funny old thing, I’ve not received any backlash.’
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is available to stream now exclusively on Prime Video.
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