Henry Cavill has been very open about his previous auditions for James Bond over the years and remains diplomatic about playing 007 as the upcoming Bond 26 lies on the horizon. Though he may have aged out of the role, he has certainly not aged out of action or playing spies. Nor do I think he should be letting the idea go, as the recent film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare proves.
I recently caught The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare streaming on Starz, and it’s a fun movie. It has a really great opening sequence, solid action throughout, and an unusual premise. While I don’t think the plot is the best of all of Guy Ritchie’s movies, Henry Cavill is just chewing through scenes like he’s eating a big, meaty steak. That, coupled with his absolutely ridiculous Ministry mustache, was enough to make me want to see him play Gus March-Phillips again and again. And probably again.
This Is The Third Time Henry Cavill Has Played A Spy Lately, And My Favorite To Date
Henry Cavill is great at playing a spy. He does a good job with Armie Hammer in Guy Ritchie’s completely underrated Man From U.N.C.L.E., but that movie went nowhere at the box office. To that point, when Ritchie was told people love U.N.C.L.E, he had no freaking idea that people were all over Cavill’s performance. He was tickled pink, and admitted he loves the movie, but any possible sequel is probably off the table now.
Last year, Cavill also appeared as a (sort of) spy in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, which does get a little silly, but also has an underrated twist that makes for a fun ride. If you’ve seen the movie, for obvious reasons, this isn’t the franchise to launch Cavill’s spy dreams.
Yet, shortly after Argylle’s release, DC’s former Superman starred in another Guy Ritchie movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It’s a WWII-era spy movie with a charming cast. Henry Cavill brought back an even better ‘stache than the viral one he’d worn in Mission: Impossible - Fallout that launched an entire Justice League controversy. And to boot, he has Reacher star Alan Ritchson at his side absolutely dominating action sequences. Honestly, there’s just so much you can do with this moving forward it would seem like a no brainer to make another.
Will Henry Cavill Get The Spy Franchise He Deserves?
The whole thing makes me think a little of Goldilocks. Man From U.N.C.L.E. didn’t pan out into a franchise due to box office and Armie Hammer-related reasons; like the porridge, it was just “too hot.” Argylle reviews were fine, but the movie had a third act not everyone gelled with; it was just “too cold.” But Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare works for me from a movie standpoint. The only real misstep is its budget needed to be lower; if it catches on, they could get it “just right” in a second round.
Unfortunately, there is that elephant in the room. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare only made $26 million at the box office globally on an alleged $60 million budget. If the movie has had a considerably solid run on streaming, there may be reason to bring it back for more, but that's a big if, given the movie didn't make enough in theaters to justify its budget. Still, I can't say enough positive things about the period special forces team up movie. With a little honing and new scripts, there's a lot the studio could do with the idea.
Personally, I can’t think of a truly bad movie Guy Ritchie has ever made. But since he consistently hits in the 3.5/5 realm and doesn’t spend hundreds of millions to make his movies, they often quietly come and go with people not talking about them all that much in the moment. I think it’s a damn shame, because Cavill + Eiza Gonzalez+ Alan Ritchson is a winning combo, and Alex Pettyfer and Henry Golding were smart adds to boot. I’d like to see the gang get another fun adventure to go on, but most importantly, I’d like to see Henry Cavill get that spy franchise he so obviously deserves.
