I fly every couple months and I often think about: What makes a great airplane movie? I am not referring to movies about airplanes. Rather, I question the medium of cinema intended to be experienced during the flight, which will alleviate the feeling of being crammed like a can of sardines for three to nine hours, feasting on pretzel slivers, and battling the urge to order yet another gin and tonic. 

Guy Ritchie’s latest offering, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” fits the description of a great airplane movie to a T. That is not a compliment, but it is not exactly a dis either. Some people simply should not find certain films enjoyable on airplanes—for example, slower, more artsy dioramas or films that require some level of focus and decent audio (seriously, do not watch “The Zone of Interest” on your next flight). But you have to watch something and for that, we have movies like this one.

Ritchie is renowned for making airplane movies but his earlier work ranged a bit more. Whimsical films like “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” are unforgettable global hits that needed to be enjoyed while they were heated, either in a packed theatre, or back at home over pizza and beers with friends. As of late, he has shifted towards more somber projects like in “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” which undoubtedly make a flight feel a tad more intense.

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is a fictious account of some facts which were uncovered only recently. To aid in crippling German U-boats, and to generally facilitate American involvement in the war, Winston Churchill sort-of/kinda unofficially authorized a group of mavericks to execute what was referred to as ‘The Operation.’ The objective was simple: Sink supply ships to cripple German resource availability. Regrettably, the refueling operations, courtesy of a couple of Italian boats, were stationed on an Spanish controlled Island called Fernando Po which is off the West African coast — in neutral waters. A formal British campaign would drag the rest of yet to join Europe soak up with the Nazi regime. Thus, it had to remain shrouded in secrecy.  

Churchill’s personal files were declassified in 2016, so the public now knows this information. So in a sense, it’s a new story.

But it still feels a bit outdated probably because there’s a preference for movies about the good guys triumphing over the antagonists in WWII, especially in Hollywood. It's reassuring in a way. You pretty much know the main winners of the conflict within five minutes of play. There's a lot you can do that would be unacceptable in other situations like ensuring all the villains (the Nazis, of course) are idiotic and tedious, and swiftly killed by the rugged mercenaries, while the protagonists are handsome quippers with skills. And don’t even get me started on character development. Not in this context. 

The added bonus of the absurdity is that “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” consumes its narrative in only two hours and gives the viewer a better chance of witnessing the conclusion before the plane lands. But, if you don’t, there’s no need to panic. You essentially know what’s going to happen.

In this instance, “streaming a movie” is quite difficult to understand due to distractions. Instagram, kitchen snacks, dogs, and doorbells are culprits in real life whereas during a flight, distractions may also include chatty captains giving altitude details, drink carts, noisy surroundings, and annoying passengers. During viewing, a sigh-inducing screenplay that adheres to age-old formulas developed by clergymen or educators is essential: repeat ad nauseum: state what you are about to say, say it, tell them again what was said.

There's a clear example of this in “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” a movie adapted from a nonfiction book with the same title The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops, written by damien lewis. Head of the band of rogues is Gus March-Philips (Henry Cavill sporting a mustache), a markswoman who refuses to follow orders. He rounds up munitions expert Freddy alvarez (Henry Golding), the is captain of the ship henry hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), strategist Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer), and also the comically ripped dane anders lassen (Alan Ritchson). Part of the crew is also the actor Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González) and the premier club owner of Fernando Po, Mr. Heron (Babs Olusanmokun).

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At the start of the film, British Intelligence strategists — Churchill (Rory Kinnear), Brigadier Gubbins (Cary Elwes), and Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox), who later goes on to create James Bond — contemplate the mission and reason for cutting off the supply lines to the U-boats. Then, they summon March-Phillips to explain the mission, who in turn explains the mission to his team, where, if I hadn’t lost count, it’s explained at least one more time.

In the last act of the movie, (by which point the “absolutely no alterations” plan has been very, very gently altered), March-Phillips is left mostly observing, narrating whether or not the plan is unfolding as intended. “That wasn’t supposed to happen yet,” is what he says when something that wasn’t supposed to happen yet… happens. 

Repeated lines can be aggravating for a viewer very much engaged in the story. In this case, if you sat through numerous guys talking at the same time and missed the first meeting, you need not worry; there are more opportunities to hear the same dialogue again.

For reasons that I trust are already apparent, it was extremely important to determine the victor of World War II. However, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” doesn’t touch that conversation at all. The characters’ loathing of the Nazis is, somewhat understandably, connected to the deaths of several family members, one of whom had a Jewish family. The longest and most elaborate description of the stakes, however, concludes that if the Germans won, the only food available would be sausages, cabbage, and brown bread—not exactly desirable.

Sure, we understand it’s a bigger deal than that. But “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” chose to lower the stakes on World War II for the sake of humor, making everything a lot less exciting. As its subtitle gives away, Lewis’s source book looks at how this group’s activities culminated in an entirely new type of warfare on modern conflicts, that dominates warfare in the 21st century. But you would never know it from the movie. Sometimes I wonder how turning this particular war, all the killing and the death, into lighthearted comedy affects perception—especially when we consider that nearly everyone alive relies on screens to experience this war. It’s a strange thing we’ve done.

Regardless, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a movie that isn’t good nor fun if you are focused on it. As background noise, however, the film is funny and can, at times, grab your attention. And I can nearly assure you that it’ll be available on a plane close to you in the near future.