The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare

2024 Lionsgate

Rated: R

Length: 2 hrs

Action ~ Comedy ~ War ~ History ~ True Story

Starring: Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Babs Olusanmokun and Eiza González.

NO RULES. NO REGRETS. JUST VICTORY

Henry Cavill stars as Major Gus March-Phillips who is brought out of Military Prison by Brigadier Colin Gubbins “M” and Ian Fleming late 1941 in England during World War II. He is tasked with heading Operation Postmaster, a last resort mission dreamt up by Winston Churchill, “M” and Ian. An unsanctioned secret operation to go to the Spanish island of Fernando Po in Africa, where the Nazi’s are resupplying their U-boats that are decimating the Royal Navy fleet, and destroy the resupply ships.

Accompanied by Irishman Henry Hayes(Hero Fiennes Tiffin), Freddy “The Buzz” “Frogman” Alvarez(Henry Golding), and “The Danish Hammer” Anders Lassen(Alan Ritchson), they sail around the coast of Africa to La Palma Canary Islands where they storm a Nazi Garrison and extract Geoffrey Appleyard(Alex Pettyfer). They then continue on the Swedish fishing Trawler Maid Of Honor to the Spanish port of Fernando Po to destroy the Nazi resupply ships. A suicide mission fraught with perils and unexpected twists and turns. They sail between the British Navy ships on one side who will incarcerate them and the Nazi U-boats on the other that will kill them.

This is based on the true story of the first Black Ops before there was such a thing. The beginnings of Agencies like the Navy Seals, CIA and other world agencies that were spawned to do the dirty work under the radar. Gus March-Phillips was the inspiration for James Bond in Ian Flemings novels. Sir Christopher Lee who starred in and was a consultant on numerous James Bond movies, was a member of The Ministry Of Gentlemanly Warfare in it’s early days. He was also second cousin to Ian Fleming.

Cavill delivers his most charismatic performance since The Man from U.N.C.L.E., channeling that mustached grit with Guy Ritchie flair, while his co-stars, like a sharp-shooting Eiza González and the ever-reliable Alan Ritchson, match his energy beat for beat. Christopher Lee’s nod to real history adds gravitas, reminding us these men and women changed the course of history.

A thrilling blend of fact, legend, and adrenaline-fueled storytelling, this is one of the best True Story war films of recent years. These men and women helped change the course of history. It’s a fantastic story well told and portrayed by all involved in this movie. I love the True Story Movies and I love this one.

A great adventure!

Well done and highly recommended!

Two Thumbs Up!

Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Henry Goldin in THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE.
Photo Credit: Dan Smith for Lionsgate.
Courtesy of Lionsgate.

The Alto Knights

2025 Warner Bros. Pictures

Rated: R

Length: 2 hr 3min

Crime ~ Drama ~ History ~ True Story

Directed by: Barry Levinson

Starring: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, and Michael Rispoli.

The Most Dangerous Enemy Is An Old Friend.

The Alto Knights is the true story of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, both members of The Luciano Crime Family, who were prominent Mob Bosses in the 1950’s. The name comes from The Alto Knights Social Club, a real life Mafia hangout in New York City’s Little Italy section. It began life in 1926 as The Knights of Alto Social Club and during Prohibition it was a bootlegging center. Vito Genovese took over the club in the 1950’s and renamed it The Alto Knights Social Club. It was a known hangout for Mobsters of the day including Lucky Luciano and Carlo Gambino.

Vito and Frank came to New York City from Italy when they were teenagers and both ended up in the Luciano Crime Family. They became fast friends but over time they turned into enemies with a bitter rivalry between them. The Alto Knights movie explores that friendship that ended in a bitter rivalry, as well as the history of The Mafia in America, how it started and how it became unraveled. It is heavy on history and not so much on the heavy handed violence you expect in a gangster movie. For that reason alone it is a little lost on itself, jumping from this story to that, meandering through a broad history of the Mafia families.

The Alto Knights started out as a film idea in the 1970’s with a working title of Wise Guys, but every major studio passed on it saying there is just no interest in the story for it to be a major blockbuster. When Warner Bros. was approached by the writer and director to revive the movie with the premise of Robert DeNiro playing a dual role as Vito and Frank, they took the bait and greenlit the movie. One interesting note on the film is they took old 1950’s era cars and trucks and vinyl wrapped them to make them look new.

So it was interesting to watch Robert DeNiro play a dual role as two different gangsters that used to be friends, and now have nothing but animosity for each other. But I feel like that is the only reason to tell you to watch the film. There is nothing else memorable about the film at all, and even then Robert’s performance as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese isn’t all that memorable. It was interesting to watch, but I don’t think I would watch it again. I feel like they should have focused more on just the rivalry between Frank and Vito, and left a lot of the Mafia history lesson off the table.

And while it was interesting to see our Bobby DeNiro take on the dual gangster challenge, I think it would have been way more dramatic to have another well known personality in one of the roles instead of Bobby acting against and playing off of himself. I feel like there would have been a lot more tension and drama with two highly charged but different personalities, like Al Pacino for instance, up against DeNiro. Now that would have been more intense. So while it was interesting, it was really kind of boring and one dimensional when it should have been dramatic as hell. Like gangster rivalries and movies are supposed to be.

So unless you really love the gangster stories or are a huge DeNiro fan and want to see him play opposite himself in a dual role……I’d skip this one.

September 5

2024 Constantin Film

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 35min

Drama ~ History ~ Thriller ~ True Story

Directed by: Tim Fehlbaum.

Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch.

The Day Terror Went Live

During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany two very important events took place that altered the course of history. ABC Sports was covering the event live in Munich with a full team and broadcasting live worldwide via satellite for the first time ever, and a Terrorist group named Black September broke into the apartments housing the Israeli athletes and took them hostage. They immediately demanded release of 200 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. Word spread quickly and the ABC Sports News Team jumped into action covering every minute of the ordeal and broadcasted it worldwide. It was the first ever televised Olympics and a terrorist attack in real time. September 5 recreates the event from the perspective of the ABC crew in their control room.

FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE:

“September 5” unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, “September 5” provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time.

At the heart of the story is Geoff (John Magaro), a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). Together with German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumours spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass.

Interwoven with real footage from that day it is a fascinating look at the events that happened and the quick thinking of the ABC team in real time as they decided that since they had the capability, the world should see the events unfolding before them. It is also an interesting look at TV production in real time without the aid of computers and graphics. There is an interesting scene where we see how they came up with titles to overlay on the live feed. Very interesting stuff, way different than now when we can quickly add graphics to video in seconds.

It is a True Story and you know I love the True Story Movies. It is also a really good movie, you feel as if you are right there in the control room with them sweating out every second and every decision. Very well done down to the details in the control room, I was eyeing some of the vintage audio gear on the wall. Very Authentic!

I highly recommend this one. Give it a go!

The Founder

2016 The Weinstein Company

Rated: PG-13

Length: 1 hr 55min

Biography ~ Drama ~ History ~ True Story

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellin, Laura Dern, and B. J. Novak .

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not, Genius will not, Education will not. Persistence and Determination alone will always solve the problems of the human race.”

Michael Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, a traveling salesman in the Midwest selling milkshake mixers to restaurants. Ray is 52 years old and has been struggling to make ends meet, not having much success with the items he has sold in the past. His office lets him know that a restaurant in California has placed an order for six Milkshake mixing machines. Confident that there must be a mistake, he calls the restaurant and is promptly told by the owner, Dick McDonald (Nick Offerman) that indeed it is not a mistake and that he should up the order to eight machines…..and hurry. Ray decides that he has to see for himself and drives to San Bernardino, California.

Upon arriving in the McDonald’s Brothers Restaurant he is amazed by what he sees. After purchasing a Burger, fries and a drink for 35 cents and receiving it immediately, he is astonished. Mac McDonald (John Carroll Lynch) offers him a tour of the kitchen where he shows Ray their “Speedee Service System”. Completely blown away by what they have invented and their restaurant, Ray takes them to dinner to pick their brains about their operation. Over the coming weeks Ray is so obsessed with the McDonald’s business he convinces them to franchise and to let him do all the work. They draw up a contract and from that day forward Ray Kroc does everything in his power to build a franchise empire of McDonald’s Restaurants as fast as he can.

In the process he goes from selling franchises to buying the land the restaurants sit on and then leasing that land to the franchisees. Eventually buying out the McDonald Brothers, and turning it into an 8 Billion dollar business with 7,500 stores in 32 countries around the world at the time of Ray’s Death in 1984. He is quoted as saying that that first day when he saw the San Bernardino store for the first time and saw the operation, the Golden Arches and the name McDonalds,” I knew I had to have it. It was a great business and the Speedee service was incredible, but the name and those arches were what I saw. That was the valuable thing. It was as American as Apple Pie and I envisioned one in every town. Every town has a courthouse with an American flag and a Church with a cross, and there should be a McDonalds in every town.”

It is a fascinating look at the True Story of McDonalds, The McDonald Brothers and Ray Kroc the visionary who saw much more than just a restaurant. The Screenplay was based on the 1977 Autobiography by Ray Kroc Grinding It Out: The Making Of McDonald’s. Of course it is a little sad how Ray basically stole the business out from underneath them. He was a very persistent determined man who saw a vision and pursued it no matter what. Michael Keaton did an awesome job in this as Ray Kroc, Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch also as The McDonald Brothers. I have seen this quite a few times and still enjoy it. I love Entrepreneurship and the process of starting with nothing and building something out of a single idea. It is truly a fascinating true story movie.

Highly Recommended!

Two Thumbs Up!

Gladiator II

2024 Paramount Pictures

Rated: R

Length: 2 hr 28min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Drama ~ Epic ~ History

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.

“The gates of hell are open night and day, smooth the descent and easy is the way.”

Gladiator II starts out with animated painted scenes of Gladiator, like a mini recap of the first movie. The story begins:

16 YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF MARCUS AURELIUS,

HIS “DREAM OF ROME” HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN.

UNDER THE TYRANNY OF TWIN EMPORERS

GETA AND CARACALLA, CORRUPTION FLOURISHES.

THEIR RUTHLESS AGGRESSION SPREADS LIKE A PLAGUE

THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE.

THE FALL OF THE CITY IS IMMINENT.

ONLY THE HOPES OF THOSE WHO STILL DARE TO DREAM REMAIN…

NUMIDIA 200 AD: The Roman forces are approaching from the sea, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal). The Kingdom prepares for battle, Hanno (Paul Mescal) and his wife Arishat suit up and take their places along the fortress walls. The roman ships approach the fortress walls and breach the hold, eventually conquering the Numidia Kingdom. Arishat, Hanno’s wife is killed and Hanno and the other male survivors are taken as slaves. They are taken to the Port of Rome where they are forced into the arena to fight large Baboons with long fangs. Hanno survives by savagely killing the baboons and is closely watched by…….

Macrinus (Denzel Washington) who has a stable of Gladiators and is always looking for the “One”. Macrinus has an ambition to de-throne the twins and become Emperor himself. Macrinus recruits Hanno to fight for him and tells him that if he wins enough fights for him, he will get Hanno close enough to General Acacius to exact his revenge for his wife’s death. Just like Maximus in the first movie, Acacius returns to Rome a hero and the twin Emperors call for games in the Coliseum to honor the General’s victory. The General re-unites with his wife Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and hatches a plan with Lucilla and the Senators to overthrow the twin Emperors.

And the journey to dethrone the Emperors is on, Macrinus on one side and General Acacius, Lucilla and the Senators on the other. Hanno, we find out later, has another name and ties to Lucilla and Maximus. He fights in the Coliseum for his freedom and a chance to kill General Acacius under the guidance of Macrinus. There are a lot of plots at play here and you have to pay close attention to who is doing what for which aim. It is truly an Epic film, from the very first battle scene to the games in the coliseum, it is grandiose in spectacle.

Is it better than the original? I don’t think you can touch the original with Russell Crowe, it is a classic. 25 years later this movie follows the storyline 16 years after Gladiator ends, without Russell Crowe, obviously. But I think it stands on it’s own. The plot is very similar to the first, just with different characters it seems. It is supposedly based on true Roman history but I’ll just take their word for that. I liked it but I don’t think the storyline was as good as the first. But I did enjoy the ride, it is a spectacle to watch, grandiose even. The Coliseum fight scenes were way more intense and graphic, but then CGI and technology has evolved a lot in the last twenty five years.

I would recommend going back and watching Gladiator first before you watch Gladiator II. The storyline will make more sense.

Two Thumbs Up!