'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' is based on a true story. Here are the WWII special forces played by Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and co.

Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Henry Golding in "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."Daniel Smith for Lionsgate

• Guy Ritchie's new movie, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," follows a WWII secret special forces unit.
• Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and more portray soldiers from Britain's Special Operations Executive.

Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and co. play British WWII special forces operatives in the new movie, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film tells the story of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Created in 1940, the secret unit helped sabotage the Nazis and their allies with guerilla tactics, including assassinations and destroying factories.

War films have always been popular, and the genre has won 17 best picture Oscars, including this year's winner "Oppenheimer." But "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" takes a more wacky, action-focused approach to the genre.

Based on the 2014 book of the same name, the movie mainly focuses on the SOE's first successful raid in 1942, "Operation Postmaster," which was carried out by a small raiding unit called the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF).

The SSRF managed to steal three enemy ships from a neutral Spanish colony in West Africa. This proved their resourcefulness while removing ships were thought to have weapons onboard.

Here's what to know about the movie's main cast and the real-life soldiers and spies they portray.