sholay movie review and rating

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Sholay Reviews

“Sholay” is like a tribute to cinema as a form of entertainment, which is the main reason it remains so fun to watch, even after so many years.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5 | Jan 22, 2023

Grand, mighty, iconic, monumental. SHOLAY is THE Indian epic that everyone must have seen.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 8, 2022

Sholay delivers the goods, all right. It has, quite literally, everything -- action, adventure, romance, drama, comedy (very broad), musical numbers -- all superbly directed by young Ramesh Sippy.

Full Review | Feb 17, 2021

A massively enjoyable movie, boasting a who's who of Indian legends.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 9, 2019

This magnificent Eastern Western effectively ushered in a new age in Indian filmmaking.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2019

Take a ticket to Ramgarh, there is still a lot to explore in the rocky terrain with a throbbing heart.

Full Review | Oct 20, 2017

The performances are impressive, especially that of Khan, who steals every scene he is in from his more famous co-stars.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 20, 2017

Sholay is a grand, maximalist revel. It's the kind of movie that, while it may pass into the status of so many older movies more talked about than seen, it became that thing by being great.

It is the greatest story ever told in Indian cinema.

Over the years, Sholay has become more than just a movie. It's been celebrated, analysed, formed the subject of dissertations in film and cultural studies.

You can divide Hindi cinema into two eras, pre-and-post Sholay. It is a landmark. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

The plot is formulaic, the camerawork is slapdash, the male bonding borders on camp.

Yet, all these years later, the film remains a benchmark that commercial filmmakers in Mumbai can only aspire to match, let alone outstrip.

Though it may seem uneven... parts of it are excellent.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Apr 18, 2016

It's a movie that you can watch again and again, and hardcore Bollywood fans do. But even if you just watch Sholay once, you won't be disappointed.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 18, 2016

Movie Reviews Simbasible

• FILM DECADES
• MOVIE REVIEWS

Sholay (1975)

…………………………………………………

Sholay Movie Review

Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure western film directed by Ramesh Sippy and starring Dharmendra , Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan . It’s a stupendous epic.

………………………………………………….

“ What is your name, Basanti? “

…………………………………………………..

Jai and Veeru , two ex-convicts are hired by a retired policeman, to help him nab Gabbar Singh , a notorious dacoit, who has spread havoc in the village of Ramgarh . This movie came out back in 1975 and it both flopped and received bad reviews, but nowadays it is renowned both in India and around the world as one of the country’s finest movies and for many great reasons.

This film basically started the modern Bollywood movement as it created all these elements that are reminiscent of Bollywood , in particular the diversity of genres and tones all put into one product. What you get here is around four or five different movies, sometimes even wildly different, put into one giant epic that is over three hours long, and surprisingly most of it really works.

The core of the film is this crime story about two ex-criminals trying to catch and kill a notorious bandit. The rural setting, the epic tone to the film and the overall bandit storyline made it feel very similar to American westerns, but naturally in an Indian setting with a more eastern approach at storytelling. This mixture worked splendidly, leading to the film’s universal appeal.

The villain was played gloriously by Amjad Khan in one truly unhinged, incredible performance. I loved Gabbar Singh . He is so cartoony, but in the best way possible as he is also intimidating and powerful. Seeing his ultimate demise was so fulfilling due to the threat that he imposed throughout the film’s runtime.

The two protagonists are also incredible. This movie is surprisingly well developed in each of its characters, of which there are a lot. The runtime helped, but still a lot of care went into each personality and that needs to be commended. The central friendship is the best representation of the importance of homosocial bonding. Their dynamic is infectiously fun and endearing. The female supporting characters are also very strong and each actor in the cast was wonderful.

But Sholay isn’t just a western. It’s so much more than that. It has a strong action-adventure angle in its DNA for sure, but I would also definitely classify it as a musical given that it features quite a lot of musical numbers interspersed throughout. And I would actually say that the songs are the highlight of the feature.

The best song is the first one – Yeh Dosti . Playing into the strong male friendship at its core, following the two driving through the village and singing joyously reminded me of the Disney songs in the best way possible. This moment was incredible. Another highlight is the song where the women sing and throw red paint all around. There are so many musical numbers that are highly cinematic and absolute scene-stealers.

The whole of Sholay is pure cinema of yesteryear, now long gone unfortunately. Surely, the editing and pacing left  lot to be desired and some of the parts in the second act weren’t as strong. Whenever you have such a long movie, you are bound to have weaker characters and inferior sections, but thankfully this one mostly delivered. The cinematography is superb, the visuals are colorful and the score is fantastic as was the production design. The only thing lacking was a bit more romance and emotion put into the plot.

Arresting, colorful visuals and an amazing score coupled with an interesting western-inspired narrative made Sholay a true gem of Indian cinema. This is a great example of what Bollywood does best – mixing the various different genres and tones into one mostly coherent movie. The western core is also imbued with wonderful action-adventure elements and some truly fantastic songs, which are surprising scene-stealers. The characters are endearing, the villain is menacing and the central male friendship is wonderful. It’s uneven in some sections, but for the most part this is a genuine classic and a reminder of how epic cinema truly was in the past.

My rating – 4.5, more stories.

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1975 ‘शोले’ Directed by Ramesh Sippy

The greatest cast ever assembled! The greatest story ever told!

After his family is murdered by a notorious and ruthless bandit, a former police officer enlists the services of two outlaws to capture the bandit.

Dharmendra Amitabh Bachchan Sanjeev Kumar Amjad Khan Hema Malini Jaya Bachchan A.K. Hangal Govardhan Asrani Leela Mishra Viju Khote Mac Mohan Jagdeep Satyendra Kapoor Keshto Mukherjee Iftekhar Sachin Pilgaonkar Helen Jalal Agha

Director Director

Ramesh Sippy

Producer Producer

Writers writers.

Javed Akhtar Salim Khan

Editor Editor

M.S. Shinde

Cinematography Cinematography

Dwarka Divecha

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

A.R. Balan Kishen Bishen Khalish Lucknavi Sharad Palekar D.R. Thakkar

Production Design Production Design

Ram Yedekar

Art Direction Art Direction

Composer composer.

Rahul Dev Burman

Makeup Makeup

Dinu Indulkar M.S. Deepak Sarosh B. Modi

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Lily Parvati

Sippy Films NH Studioz

Releases by Date

15 aug 1975, 15 sep 1975, 30 nov 2005, 17 apr 2015, 29 nov 1990, 22 sep 2006, 17 jul 1995, 14 aug 1997, releases by country.

• TV 12 Premiere (Edited Version)
• Theatrical U
• Physical PG DVD Premiere
• Physical PG DIRECTOR’S CUT (BBFC)
• TV PG TV Premiere

204 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Michael Strenski ★★★½ 5

Sure, it's no Seven Samurai but then again Seven Samurai doesn't have a scene where Takashi Shimura plays a harmonica solo while sitting on Toshiro Mifune's shoulders as he drives a motorcycle.

Review by Rida ★★★★★ 10

Once in a lifetime, there comes along a movie in which everything is just right: a brilliant screenplay, perfect casting, a badass background score, and whistle-worthy dialogue. The result: a film that has become the single most iconic element of Indian pop culture.

Most Bollywood films are around three hours in length (because they say that when the masses pay money to watch a movie, they not only want to watch a world completely unlike their own, but they also want to sit in an air-conditioned hall for a good chunk of their day). But most Bollywood films haven't actually got enough material to stretch out over so much time, making them a chore to sit through.

But Sholay is…

Review by matt lynch ★★★½

for a few rupees more

Review by Darren Carver-Balsiger ★★★★ 8

I have various cinematic blindspots. One of my biggest is Indian cinema. So for my first Bollywood film, I decided to start with a classic and give Sholay a shot.

Sholay is just awesome. It is pure entertainment, filled with action, romance, comedy, melodrama, and songs. It truly has it all. Spaghetti westerns and samurai films are clear inspirations on Sholay , but it's also distinctive and obviously its own cultural thing. There's a massacre reminiscent of Once Upon a Time in the West , but done with more melodrama and less nihilism. The characters are broadly drawn, but all are wonderfully placed in this ridiculous story. The two leads exhibit the virtues of friendship with some rather campy moments of male…

Review by ebbs ★★★★½ 6

stop asking who’s the man in the relationship. start asking, who’s the one driving the motorcycle and who’s the one playing the harmonica

Review by Irene ★★★★½ 4

Dear men, what is preventing you from being a 6ft tall bi legend, dressed in white denim, that has mastered the harmonica ?

Review by Varghese ★★★★★ 2

No other movie will elicit orgasmic whistling and howling from an audience like this one does each time a dialogue is rendered. There is a sense of feudalistic divide which can be read between the lines.It is India's reply to The Godfather.It is the epitome of timelessness in the conventional sense.Sholay is not a movie; It is an EXPERIENCE.

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★★ 4

RECOMMENDED BY Moosa

The film that reigned supreme in the Indian box office for almost two decades (and still is if adjusted for inflation) - this is the epitome of what many think when a Bollywood movie comes to mind. Its over-the-top in every sense of the world, its loud and its ridiculous, there's an Indian Hitler-esque soldier, there's wildly creative musical set pieces that mostly starts out of nowhere, its a western, its an adventure film, its a Western, its an action feature and its a silent Chaplin movie but with sound.

Technically speaking, this movie has nothing to envy the epic movies of the Hollywood system. The cinematography is vibrant and having shot most of it in real…

Review by Paul Elliott ★★★½

Breaking box office records when it was released in 1975,  Sholay  emphasises several competent action sequences, including a well-staged train siege near the beginning that establishes the breakneck pacing most of the film will follow. Although much of the film relies heavily on tired cliches, the cast makes it work charitably, especially Amjad Khan, who plays antagonist Gabbar Singh to perfection. Like various other films within the Western genre, it's a tale of revenge, at the heart of which is former police inspector Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) and a couple of small-time thieves, Jai and Veeru, portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, respectively. There are some pretty noticeable influences, with spaghetti western  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly  and the epic samurai…

Review by Dr. Ethan Lyon ★★★★★ 3

1st R. Sippy

Had the profound pleasure to introduce my friends to this today. Sholay is a film of unbridled emotion and relentless cruelty, anchored by incredible performances by Bachchan and Dharmendra as the ultimate buddy duo. But it’s Sanjeev Kumar who has my heart and soul as Thakur Singh, dignified in the face of Gabbar Singh’s humiliations and burning with passionate anger for vengeance. Ye Dosti Hum Nahin was my alarm and running song for a good three months after I saw this for a module on stardom in 2014 and I’m glad to say I can sing the chorus to this day, albeit badly. It won’t be ten years before I see this again.

Review by Patrick Brennan ★★★★★

The western that Tarantino has been so desperately trying to make for the last decade, but only successful because there's no desperate effort here. It's so beautifully heartfelt, unassuming, and completely honest about its craziness that it can't help but be a masterpiece.

And who doesn't love a western where the hero is saved by the power of dance?

Review by Brighid ★★★★★ 1

Young Amitabh is so hot

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Movie's ratings

• Kinorium 6.9 500+
• IMDb 8.1 58 587
• Critics 93% 15

Collections

• When Dharmendra opened up about sticking to Bollywood and not making name in Hollywood Times of India December 9, 2023
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Sholay (Pakistani Film Soundtrack)

Different stars.

• 1 Saira Naseem Mere Pyar Ke Din 5:15
• 2 Saira Naseem Sholay 6:43
• 3 Saira Naseem Akhiyan 6:23
• 4 AE Naiyar Tu Hai Sarey 6:41
• 5 Saira Naseem Chum Chum 5:34
• 6 Saira Naseem Badan Mera Kanch 6:34
• 7 Saira Naseem Teri Ankh Bari Mastani 4:29
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Critique: 5

You can divide Hindi cinema into two eras, pre-and-post Sholay. It is a landmark. They don’t make 'em like this anymore.

It’s a movie that you can watch again and again, and hardcore Bollywood fans do. But even if you just watch Sholay once, you won’t...

Sholay is a grand, maximalist revel. It’s the kind of movie that, while it may pass into the status of so many older movies more talked...

Sholay delivers the goods, all right. It has, quite literally, everything – action, adventure, romance, drama, comedy (very broad), musical nu...

The plot is formulaic, the camerawork is slapdash, the male bonding borders on camp.

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Friends comments and ratings.

An old Indian action movie copied from «Seven Samurai» or «The Magnificent Seven», only there are two heroes. Remove all the songs, the stupid scenes in the prison and a few other moments, then it would be generally good. And so 7/10 and only because of respect. Translated to English

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• What is the release date of 'Sholay'? Release date of Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar starrer 'Sholay' is 1975-08-15.
• Who are the actors in 'Sholay'? 'Sholay' star cast includes Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan.
• Who is the director of 'Sholay'? 'Sholay' is directed by Ramesh Sippy.
• Who is the producer of 'Sholay'? 'Sholay' is produced by G.P. Sippy.
• What is Genre of 'Sholay'? 'Sholay' belongs to 'Action, Comedy, Romance' genre.
• In Which Languages is 'Sholay' releasing? 'Sholay' is releasing in Hindi.

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‘Sholay’ review: The perfect blend of thrills, laughter, and emotion

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• Throwback: Critic reviewing Sholay in 1975 called Amitabh Bachchan, ‘Dharmendra’s friend’

Throwback: Critic reviewing Sholay in 1975 called Amitabh Bachchan, 'Dharmendra's friend'

• Nov 23, 2017

When Ramesh Sippy’s  Sholay  released in 1975, it was mostly panned by critics. The makers had little to no hope that their fruit of labour would go on to redefine Indian cinema. Of all the poor reviews the movie received, probably the most brutal one was recently shared by Anupam Kher on Twitter. The veteran actor shared a newspaper clipping of one of the early reviews of Sholay , and it’s more than surprising.

In the review, Sholay was awarded an average rating. The critic made arguments to support his claim, and it is clearly not something all the cult classic lovers would agree with. For instance, the critic did not even mention Amitabh Bachchan in the long review, instead, he stuck to addressing him as Dharam’s (Dharmendra) co-killer. The critic called Sholay  a movie which lacked purpose and art. The article pointed out that the movie revolved around the same triangle of writers Salim-Javed, i.e., murder-revenge murder.

A still from Sholay

The critic was harsh on most of the actors of Sholay. The article pointed out that Nazir Hussain would have done a better job than Sanjeev Kumar in playing the armless Thakur, called Amjad Khan’s iconic Gabbar a far cry from a feared dacoit and blamed his short-fat body for it. According to the critic, Gabbar was just capable of ordering or grimacing and could never win a duel.

On the bright side, the actresses were praised. Hema Malini was appreciated for getting into the skin of the character, for a change, and Jaya Bachchan was admired for exuding many emotions through her expressions.

Also read: Sholay to Umrao Jaan: 9 Bollywood movies that should never have been remade

Hema Malini in Sholay

Here is the review shared by Anupam Kher:

A critic’s Review of SHOLAY in a newspaper in 1975 : An average film. @SrBachchan name not mentioned even once.Is referred to as Dharam’s buddy.Nazir Hussain could have done better than Sanjeev Kumar. Amjad Khan banished & mauled completely by the critic.Jai Ho.:) pic.twitter.com/g6w8vAFcBm — Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) November 22, 2017

Also read: Will chop off fingers raised against Modi: Nityanand Rai. 6 times BJP leaders went too far in Modi Bhakti

The review, however, asked a question which may have troubled many- Where did he (Jai) make or get a coin with the king on both sides?

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Does much need to be said about the best film the industry has ever produced? What can I say about…

Everybody knows this is the Best Bollywood film ever made. I am surprised that this films rating in…

it's the BEST bollywood movie ever , what a movie !!!!! everything in the movie is OUTSTANDING !…

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‘Abigail’ Review: Horror by Numbers

In this cheerfully unambitious vampire movie, a bloodsucker is shut up in an old mansion with some nitwit criminals. Will there will be gore? You bet.

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By Manohla Dargis

A cheerfully obvious splatterthon, the new horror movie “Abigail” follows a simple, time-tested recipe that calls for a minimal amount of ingredients. Total time: 109 minutes. Take a mysterious child, one suave fixer and six logic-challenged criminals. Place them in an extra-large pot with a few rats, creaking floorboards and ominous shadows. Stir. Simmer and continue stirring, letting the stew come to a near-boil. After an hour, crank the heat until some of the meat falls off the bone and the whole mix turns deep red. Enjoy!

That more or less sums up this movie, a horror flick that’s serviceable enough to make you occasionally giggle or flinch, yet is also so aggressively unambitious that it scarcely seems worth griping about. It centers on the kidnapping of the title character (a fine Alisha Weir), an outwardly self-possessed 12-year ballerina who’s snatched one night by a half-dozen genre types. A formulaically diverse cohort of underworld bottom feeders (played by Dan Stevens, among others), these Scooby-Doo-ish chuckleheads come with divergent skills, histories and expiration dates, and are largely tasked with padding the reed-thin story and dying horribly.

The filmmakers — it was written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — have outfitted the story with the usual particulars. Much of the movie unfolds inside a sprawling labyrinthine mansion that looks like it was imagineered by an amusement park designer who scanned some old horror movies while thumbing through picture books on the history of the European aristocracy. There are suits of armor flanking the front door, a bearskin rug on the floor, an empty coffin tucked in a corner and oddly, given the genre circumstances, some fresh garlic in an otherwise derelict kitchen.

There are some tangy bits, including Giancarlo Esposito, who enters, barks some orders and soon leaves the kidnappers alone with Abigail in the mansion while they wait for her father to pay a ransom within 24 hours. Once this narrative stopwatch begins, the crew members — who also include Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, an amusing Kevin Durand and Angus Cloud (who died in 2023 ) — banter and pose, grimace and scream while managing to be lightly appealing and entirely disposable. At one point, the filmmakers nod at one of their influences with a shot of Agatha Christie’s 1939 mystery novel “ And Then There Were None ,” about a group of people who are enigmatically offed.

“Abigail” has been described as a take on “ Dracula’s Daughter ” (1936), one of the horror films in Universal’s vault, some of which it has resurrected in some fashion. The press notes for “Abigail” name-check a few vampire titles, but “Daughter” isn’t among them, and for good reason because there’s little to link these two. That’s too bad; the earlier film is a true curiosity. It stars Gloria Holden as a countess who preys on men and women alike, and begs a doctor to help her with her “ghastly” condition. With its lesbian overtones, the movie is a vexed and tasty text — censors urged the studio to avoid suggestions of “ perverse sexual desire ” — and the countess a complex villain in a film that is very much worth a look.

Abigail Rated R for gore and more gore. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes. In theaters.

Manohla Dargis is the chief film critic for The Times. More about Manohla Dargis

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‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’: How a Dirty Half-Dozen Inglorious Bastards Won WWII

By David Fear

Once upon a time … in war-torn London, Winston Churchill found himself face to face with the potential end of England as he knew it. The Blitz was in full effect. Europe was slowly being crushed under Hitler’s boot heels. German U-boats had turned the Atlantic into a graveyard, effectively crippling the Allied war effort. The prime minister needed an effective counterpunch.

Whether or not this British military man actually had a penchant for waggling his tongue while machine-gunning the Gestapo, or sported a bushy rogue’s mustache over his stiff upper lip is immaterial; when you’re making a movie about the exploits of such larger-than-life characters, you hit the “puree” button on the facts and print the legend in 22-sized font. Besides, no one would ever mistake Guy Ritchie ’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare for a biopic. A throwback WWII men-on-a-mission adventure marinated in modern bloodlust and movie references, this particularly pulpy take on a Dad Cinema staple couldn’t be more violent and more derivative of past works. It also couldn’t be more of a blast to watch if you enjoy a certain strain of carbon-dated derring-do mixed with cheeky carnage.

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So, for that matter, is the joy emanating from the cast as they cosplay their way through commando raids, double-agent seductions, and a TCM watch party’s worth of old-fashioned Hollywood conventions. Sporting a mustache that no amount of digital trickery could ever erase , Cavill convincingly gives you a man of action and anti-establishment insouciance. González knows how to turn on the sultry-siren charm while practicing chicanery for queen and country. The whole ensemble just revels in the over-the-topness of it all, but without sacrificing the tension or release needed to make movie-movies like this work. A pre-credits roll call of the IRL players reminds you that the heroism was genuine — this operation really did hand the Allies a major advantage — and also couldn’t be more superfluous. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare isn’t really a tribute. It just wants to uncork a vintage bottle of long-lost Saturday matinee thrills, served with a side of room-temp Karo syrup. To which we can only say, in our best Churchill accent: Mission accomplished.

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Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone Anchor Hulu’s Heartbreaking Murder Mystery ‘Under the Bridge’: TV Review

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In Hulu ’s dark, gripping “ Under the Bridge ,” adapted for television by Quinn Shephard and based on Rebecca Godfrey’s 2005 nonfiction account of the same name, the audience finds itself in the picturesque community of Victoria, British Columbia. After attending a party with her “friends” near the infamous Craigflower Bridge, 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) never returns home. Much more than a retelling of a horrific true crime, “Under the Bridge” is a show about longing, otherness, race and the frailties of community. The series was greenlit in 2022, a week before Godfrey’s death at 54 from lung cancer.

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Shephard and the series’ writers are careful not to spotlight the violence visually. Instead, the brutality of what’s done to Reena is recounted through the viewpoints of the teens who were present in her last moments. Moreover, as Rebecca struggles to write her book — now devoted to Reena and the teens involved in her death — she realizes the story she is searching for isn’t there. Instead, in facing the truth about those who perpetrated Reena’s death, she is forced to confront the errors of her past and how they inform the present.

Sharp and devastating, with a ’90s hip-hop soundtrack laced throughout, “Under the Bridge” is an absorbing examination of cruelty, why some people receive empathy over others and how our own biases can prevent us from recognizing the truth. The series is a reminder of the anguish of rejection for teens, especially girls — and how that can manifest into something grotesque. Without proper guidance or a listening ear, the torment they inflict upon one another seems, in many ways, inevitable.

The first two episodes of “Under the Bridge” premiere April 17 on Hulu with new episodes dropping weekly on Wednesdays.

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The fact-based “Hard Miles” begins with a failure. Social worker Greg Townsend ( Matthew Modine ) urges a judge to allow the resident of a facility for teenage boys who have been in trouble to allow him to stay there, even though he pushed another boy. Townsend explains that he was protecting someone else, not instigating violence. But the judge rules that the boy must be transferred to a higher-security facility, one with “juvenile penitentiary” in its name. 

It is not Townsend’s failure; it is a failure of a system that wants to treat these teenagers as criminals instead of opportunities for redirection. And that means showing them that they have other strengths and other choices. “If they see the bigger world, they can want to be a part of it,” Townsend says, and his idea of how to make that happen is to take them on a 762-mile bike ride from Colorado to the Grand Canyon. “Hard Miles” is inspired by the real Greg Townsend, who has taken thousands of young men on these bike trips. It is a compelling story, and the film is a combination of spectacular scenery, arduous exertion, inspiring pep talks, adolescent rebellion, emotional confrontations, and lessons learned by both the teenagers and their leader. 

The small facility where Townsend works is at risk of being shut down. The director, Skip ( Leslie David Baker of “The Office”), thinks some good publicity from a hike might help them, with a story about “urban delinquents rehabilitated by tall trees and sunlight.” It’s hard to run away from a hike. But Greg insists it must be a bike trip. 

There are a few problems. First, they do not have bicycles. Second, with no experience and a group of known troublemakers, getting in trouble, getting hurt, or escaping seems inevitable. And third, no one wants to go, and the boys do not like or trust each other. But Townsend happens to be the teacher with the blowtorch who can teach them how to make their own bicycle frames and he has a friend who owns a bicycle shop to provide the gears and wheels. He persuades his colleague, Haddie ( Cynthia Kaye McWilliams ) to come along to drive the van that carries their gear. She is willing to provide support but understandably not willing to do the laundry. Synthetic bike shorts and tops worn over hundreds of miles through the desert should not be inflicted on anyone but the people who wear them.

Townsend wanted the young men to experience the grandeur of the Arizona and Colorado landscapes. He wanted them to learn what they could accomplish, and he wanted them to learn to be a part of something outside themselves. The best part of the movie is the insightful way it shows us that the young characters’ constant attacks on everyone around them are fueled by anger, fear, a loss of control, and a distorted idea of masculinity. They are so determined to insulate themselves from any hint of engagement with others that they jeer at everything, attacking before they can be attacked. We see that they hold on to anger, mistaking it, as young people do so often, for strength. But as individuals they are thinly characterized. We get a much better sense of the adults.

The film is even less effective in tying this to Townsend’s awkwardly inserted backstory. We see in flashbacks that his father attacked and beat him for having muscular and heart-related disabilities. Townsend gets repeated collect calls from prison. It is his brother begging him to see their father in hospice. It is possible that one reason he is so insistent on the trip is to have an excuse for refusing. When he finally gets on the phone, his father is so ill he cannot respond. Will Townsend leave the trip? Will the team be able to finish? Will they be willing to finish? 

This is not the kind of movie that surprises you with the answers to those questions, even though it tries to ramp up the suspense toward the end. But like the young men on the trip, we cannot help but be moved by the scope and beauty of the landscape and the dedication of the adults who see possibilities for teenagers after the rest of the world has given up.

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

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Hard Miles (2024)

Rated PG-13

108 minutes

Matthew Modine as Greg Townsend

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Movie Review: ‘Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ amps up a true-tale WWII heist

This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Henry Cavill in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Alan Ritchson in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Eiza Gonzalez in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Babs Olusanmokun in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Danny Sapani in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Cary Elwes in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

This image released by Lionsgate shows Henry Golding in a scene from the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)

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The latest Guy Ritchie flick “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” has a spine of true story to it, even if it does all it can to amplify a long-declassified World War II tale with enough dead Nazis to make “Inglourious Basterds” blush.

The result is a jauntily entertaining film but also an awkward fusion. Ritchie’s film, which opens in theaters Friday, takes the increasingly prolific director’s fondness for swaggering, exploitation-style ultraviolence and applies it to a real-life stealth mission that would have been thrilling enough if it had been told with a little historical accuracy.

In 2016, documents were declassified that detailed Operation Postmaster, during which a small group of British special operatives sailed to the West African island of Fernando Po, then a Spanish colony, in the Gulf of Guinea. Spain was then neutral in the war, which made the Churchill-approved gambit audacious. In January 1942, they snuck into the port and sailed off with several ships — including the Italian merchant vessel Duchessa d’Aosta — that were potentially being used in Atlantic warfare.

Sounds like a pretty good movie, right? The story even features James Bond author Ian Fleming, giving it more than enough grist for a WWII whopper. “Operation Postmaster” makes for a better title, too, than the ungainly “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” Ritchie, however, already has an operation — last year’s “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” — in his filmography.

Ritchie, who turned Sherlock Holmes into a bulked-up action star, has always preferred to beef up his movies. It’s a less-noted side effect of the superhero era that regular ol’ heroes have been supersized, too, as if human-sized endeavors aren’t quite enough anymore. And “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” in which a handful of operatives kill approximately a thousand Nazis, has a fine, brawny duo in Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson.

In the movie’s opening scene, they’re relaxing on a small ship in the Atlantic when Germans rush aboard. After a few laughs and a Nazi monologue that plays like a poor man’s version of Christoph Waltz’s masterful oration in “Inglourious Basterds,” the duo makes quick mincemeat of them, leaving blood splattered across the henley shirt of Anders Lassen (Ritchson, a charming standout).

Not much has changed in Ritchie-land, though he’s swapped tweed for skintight tees and cable-knit sweaters in a rollicking high-seas adventure. As in the director’s previous movies, everyone — and, as before, nearly all male — seems to be having a good time. Likewise, Ritchie revels in his characters’ debonair nonchalance while meting out all manner of savagery.

The assembled group of operatives are said to be delinquents and misfits, though they steadfastly adhere to the polite manners of past Ritchie protagonists. They may kill with bloodthirsty impunity but what really matters is upholding an old-school sense of style. When the undercover agents Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González, who silkily cuts like a knife through the film) and Mr. Heron (Babs Olusanmokun, excellent) ride a Nazi-controlled train on their way to Fernando Po, they look in disgust at the German sausages they’re served. Later, someone will say, “I hate Nazis not because they’re Nazis but because they’re so gauche.”

And in proficiently staged set pieces, Ritchie makes his own case for a bit of class. As a journeyman filmmaker now pumping out a movie a year, he’s in many ways grown to be a more complete director. He’s adept at giving the many members of his large ensemble moments to shine — including Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes, Freddie Fox as Fleming, Til Schweiger as a barbaric Nazi and Rory Kinnear as Churchill.

And once the film — based on the nonfiction book by Damien Lewis — settles into a seedy, sunny West African setting and the nighttime heist finale, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” proves a spirited, if grossly exaggerated diversion.

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” a Lionsgate release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong violence throughout and some language. Running time: 92 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.