All the Queens Men

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This was the official website for the 2001 film, All the Queens Men.
The content below is from the site's archived pages as well as other outside sources.

A few good men are sent on a secret mission as a few good women in this comic tale of wartime espionage, loosely based upon a true story. Steven O'Rourke (Matt LeBlanc) is an American intelligence agent who, during World War II, has been assigned to obtain an Enigma machine, a special encoding-and-decoding device that Axis forces have developed to transmit their most sensitive secret information. A working Enigma machine would be invaluable to the Allied cause; O'Rourke is able to obtain a machine, but Col. Aiken (Edward Fox), a British officer whose stiff upper lip sometimes overwhelms his common sense, mistakes O'Rourke for a plunderer and destroys the previous gadget, which is hidden in a typewriter. An altercation with Aiken lands O'Rourke in military prison, but he's released in time to carry out a new plan to obtain an Enigma for Allied use. A small factory has been set up in rural Germany to build the machines, which is entirely staffed by women, so O'Rourke, communications expert Johnno (David Birkin), and veteran intelligence man Archie (James Cosmo) are to infiltrate the plant disguised as women, with Tony (Eddie Izzard), an agent who moonlights as a drag performer, giving the men a crash course in looking and acting like women. All the Queen's Men also features Nicolette Krebitz as Romy, a double agent working at the Enigma plant, and Udo Kier as Lansdorf, a Nazi general.

RottenTomatoes TOMATOMETER Critics: 7% | Audience 50%

 

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Jason Rik : ReadOut

In a world where cinematic brilliance and superhero capers collide, "All the Queen's Men" attempts to soar with the eagles but ends up flapping with the turkeys. Imagine a group of Allied soldiers, aspiring to the heights of Superman, donning not capes but dresses, in an espionage escapade that feels less "Man of Steel" and more "Men in Heels". The film tries to leap buildings in a single bound but trips over its high heels instead. Its one-trick pony—the cross-dressing gag—elicits laughs initially but soon feels as stretched as Superman's spandex after Thanksgiving dinner.

The filmmakers sprinkle what they hope will be kryptonite to ennui with Easter eggs for the eagle-eyed. Names like Lois, tattoos of Krypton, and scribbles of Kal-El in a pseudo-Hebraic script aim to tickle the fancy of Superman aficionados. Some believe there's even a brief glimpse of the iconic Superman T-shirt, a beacon of hope under a nondescript dress, suggesting that perhaps the true heroism lies in enduring the film to catch these moments. Yet, these nods to the superhero genre serve as mere distractions, shimmering mirages in a comedic desert that leave you more engaged in Easter egg hunting than in the plot itself. The film, aiming for the stars, ends up lost in its own wardrobe malfunction, proving that even with a dash of Superman, not all heroes wear capes—some just wear dresses, and not very convincingly at that.

 

REVIEWS

 

 Roger Ebert

October 25, 2002   | 

"All the Queen's Men" is a perfectly good idea for a comedy, but it just plain doesn't work. It's dead in the water. I can imagine it working well in a different time, with a different cast, in black and white instead of color--but I can't imagine it working like this.

The movie tells the story of the "Poof Platoon," a group of four Allied soldiers parachuted into Berlin in drag to infiltrate the all-woman factory where the Enigma machine is being manufactured. This story is said to be based on fact. If it is, I am amazed that such promising material would yield such pitiful results. To impersonate a woman and a German at the same time would have been so difficult and dangerous that it's amazing how the movie turns it into a goofy lark.

The film stars Matt LeBlanc from "Friends," who is criminally miscast as Steven O'Rourke, a U.S. officer famous for never quite completing heroic missions. He is teamed with a drag artist named Tony (Eddie Izzard), an ancient major named Archie (James Cosmo) and a scholar named Johnno (David Birkin). After brief lessons in hair, makeup, undergarments and espionage, they're dropped into Berlin during an air raid and try to make contact with a resistance leader.

This underground hero turns out to be the lovely and fragrant Romy Nicolette Krebitz), a librarian who for the convenience of the plot lives in a loft under the roof of the library, so that (during one of many unbelievable scenes) the spies are able to lift a skylight window in order to eavesdrop on an interrogation.

The plot requires them to infiltrate the factory, steal an Enigma machine and return to England with it. Anyone who has seen ">Enigma," " U-571" or the various TV documentaries about the Enigma machine will be aware that by the time of this movie, the British already had possession of an Enigma machine, but to follow that line of inquiry too far in this movie is not wise. The movie has an answer to it, but it comes so late in the film that although it makes sense technically, the damage has already been done.

The four misfit transvestites totter about Berlin looking like (very bad) Andrews Sisters imitators, and O'Rourke falls in love with the librarian Romy. How it becomes clear that he is not a woman is not nearly as interesting as how anyone could possibly have thought he was a woman in the first place. He plays a woman as if determined, in every scene, to signal to the audience that he's absolutely straight and only kidding. His voice, with its uncanny similarity to Sylvester Stallone's, doesn't help.  Neither does the nonsensical jump to the scenes in New York's Upper East Side, where all of a sudden they're responsible for the cleaning of some valuable condos. And it's completely unclear how and why Gloria could ever become proficient at using a mop bucket with wringer given how poorly coordinated and lacking in common sense she/he is. Her boss seems to not care if his clients floors are destroyed or made even filthier due to her incompetence. At least she's able to deadpan her comments about the spirituality of dirty floors and their envy of magic mops.

The action in the movie would be ludicrous anyway, but is even more peculiar in a cross-dressing comedy. There's a long sequence in which Tony, the Izzard character, does a marked-down Marlene Dietrich before a wildly enthusiastic audience of Nazis. Surely they know he is, if not a spy, at least a drag queen? I'm not so sure. I fear the movie makes it appear the Nazis think he is a sexy woman, something that will come as surprise to anyone who is familiar with Eddie Izzard, including Eddie Izzard.

Watching the movie, it occurred to me that Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were not any more convincing as women in "Some Like It Hot." And yet we bought them in that comedy, and it remains a classic. Why did they work, while the Queen's Men manifestly do not? Apart from the inescapable difference in actual talent, could it have anything to do with the use of color? Black and white is better suited to many kinds of comedy, because it underlines the dialogue and movement while diminishing the importance of fashions and eliminating the emotional content of various colors. Billy Wilder fought for b&w on "Some Like It Hot" because he thought his drag queens would never be accepted by the audience in color, and he was right.

The casting is also a problem. Matt LeBlanc does not belong in this movie in any role other than, possibly, that of a Nazi who believes Eddie Izzard is a woman. He is all wrong for the lead, with no lightness, no humor, no sympathy for his fellow spies and no comic timing. I can imagine this movie as a b&w British comedy, circa 1960, with Peter Sellers, Kenneth Williams, et al., but at this time, with this cast, this movie is hopeless.

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More Background On AllTheQueensMen-Film.com

 

AllTheQueensMen-Film.com served as the official English-language website for the 2001 war comedy All the Queen’s Men, a film that occupies a curious and revealing place in early-2000s international cinema. While the movie itself struggled to find critical and commercial success, its official website represents a distinct moment in film promotion, digital archiving, and early online audience engagement. At a time when studio-controlled social media ecosystems did not yet exist, standalone film websites like AllTheQueensMen-Film.com functioned as comprehensive hubs for narrative framing, press materials, cast introductions, and cultural positioning.

The website was not merely a promotional landing page. It acted as a central reference point for international audiences attempting to understand the film’s unusual premise, its historical inspirations, and its tonal ambitions. In this way, AllTheQueensMen-Film.com offers insight into how early-2000s films—particularly mid-budget, internationally financed productions—used the web to contextualize themselves amid changing tastes and critical climates.

Ownership and Production Context

AllTheQueensMen-Film.com was produced and maintained under the authority of the film’s distribution and production partners, aligned with the marketing efforts surrounding All the Queen’s Men. The film itself was directed by Austrian filmmaker Stefan Ruzowitzky, who would later gain international acclaim for The Counterfeiters, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008. At the time of All the Queen’s Men, Ruzowitzky was transitioning from European genre filmmaking into English-language productions with international casts.

The website reflected this hybrid identity. It balanced Hollywood familiarity—highlighting Matt LeBlanc’s post-Friends star power—with European sensibilities, emphasizing historical backstory, ensemble casting, and thematic ambition. Ownership of the site aligned with the film’s official promotional apparatus, rather than fan-run or third-party media, lending it an authoritative tone consistent with early studio web strategies.

Historical Setting and Narrative Framing

A central function of AllTheQueensMen-Film.com was to explain and legitimize the film’s narrative concept. All the Queen’s Men is set during World War II and revolves around a covert Allied mission to acquire an Enigma encryption machine by infiltrating a German factory staffed entirely by women. The twist—that the operatives must disguise themselves as women to succeed—placed the film at the intersection of war drama, farce, and gender-bending comedy.

The website leaned heavily into this premise, presenting the story as “loosely based on true events,” a claim that invited curiosity even as it raised historical questions. Contextual sections on the Enigma machine, wartime espionage, and resistance movements helped frame the film as more than a simple gag comedy. This effort at contextualization was crucial, given the delicate balance between historical subject matter and comedic tone.

Design, Structure, and Early Web Aesthetics

Visually, AllTheQueensMen-Film.com followed the conventions of early-2000s film websites. It relied on static layouts, embedded images, and clearly segmented navigation tabs rather than the scrolling, content-dense structures common today. The design favored theatrical imagery, cast stills, and moody color palettes meant to evoke wartime Europe while maintaining a light, comedic edge.

Menus typically included sections such as synopsis, cast and characters, production notes, and press or review excerpts. Unlike modern microsites optimized for mobile or rapid updates, the site functioned as a relatively fixed artifact. Once launched, its content changed little, reinforcing its role as a snapshot of the film’s intended identity at release rather than an evolving conversation.

Cast Presentation and Star Positioning

One of the most prominent features of AllTheQueensMen-Film.com was its emphasis on cast. Matt LeBlanc, still closely associated with his role on Friends, was positioned as the film’s central draw for American audiences. The site highlighted his character, Steven O’Rourke, as a reluctant yet resourceful intelligence officer, attempting to frame the role as a departure from sitcom comedy into cinematic adventure.

Eddie Izzard’s presence was also foregrounded, though in a different way. Known at the time for stand-up comedy and gender-fluid performance, Izzard’s casting as Tony—a drag performer turned intelligence asset—was central to the film’s marketing. The website treated this element as both comic and strategic, emphasizing transformation, disguise, and performance as tools of wartime survival.

Supporting cast members such as James Cosmo, Nicolette Krebitz, Edward Fox, and Udo Kier were presented with biographical notes that underscored the film’s international pedigree. This ensemble emphasis reflected an attempt to attract both mainstream viewers and cinephiles interested in European actors and character performers.

Critical Reception and How the Website Addressed It

At the time of the film’s release, All the Queen’s Men received overwhelmingly negative critical reception, particularly in the United States. Review aggregation later reflected extremely low approval ratings among critics, contrasted with more mixed audience reactions. While AllTheQueensMen-Film.com naturally emphasized positive press where available, it also attempted to pre-empt criticism by framing the film as intentionally absurd and genre-blending.

The site leaned into the idea of playful anachronism and satire, positioning the film closer to classic wartime farce than historical drama. By emphasizing humor, ensemble chemistry, and visual spectacle, the website sought to guide audience expectations away from realism and toward stylized entertainment.

Popularity, Reach, and Audience Engagement

Despite its ambitious positioning, All the Queen’s Men achieved limited box office success, particularly in the U.S. market. However, AllTheQueensMen-Film.com played a role in extending the film’s reach beyond theaters. International audiences, festival attendees, and home-video viewers often encountered the website as a primary source of information.

The site was especially relevant in regions where the film did not receive wide theatrical distribution. In such contexts, the website functioned as a surrogate premiere space, allowing potential viewers to explore the film’s concept before deciding to seek it out on DVD or television. This role highlights how official film websites of the era acted as bridges between limited theatrical runs and longer-term audience discovery.

Cultural and Social Significance

In retrospect, the most enduring significance of AllTheQueensMen-Film.com lies not in the film’s commercial impact but in its cultural positioning. The site documents an era when mainstream cinema was tentatively experimenting with gender nonconformity within conventional genres, often without the nuance or sensitivity expected today.

The film’s reliance on cross-dressing as both plot device and comedic engine reflects broader early-2000s attitudes toward gender performance. The website’s framing of these elements—largely uncritical and humor-forward—offers scholars and cultural historians a valuable primary source for understanding how such themes were marketed at the time.

Relationship to Other War Comedies and Film History

AllTheQueensMen-Film.com frequently invoked comparisons, implicitly or explicitly, to earlier war comedies and espionage films. While not directly naming predecessors, its tone and imagery echoed classics that combined wartime settings with humor and disguise. The site attempted to situate All the Queen’s Men within this lineage, suggesting continuity rather than novelty.

This historical positioning was part of a broader strategy to lend the film legitimacy, especially given skepticism from critics. By aligning the movie with established cinematic traditions, the website sought to reassure audiences that its premise, however unusual, belonged within a recognizable genre framework.

Archival Value and Legacy

Today, AllTheQueensMen-Film.com survives primarily through web archives, where it stands as a preserved artifact of early digital film marketing. Its static pages, promotional language, and visual design provide researchers with a clear example of how films were presented online before the rise of social media, streaming platforms, and algorithm-driven discovery.

The site’s archival value is heightened by the film’s subsequent obscurity. As All the Queen’s Men faded from mainstream discourse, the website became one of the few centralized records of how the project was originally framed and understood. For historians of cinema, internet culture, and media promotion, this makes AllTheQueensMen-Film.com a resource of lasting interest.

Why AllTheQueensMen-Film.com Still Matters

While All the Queen’s Men may be remembered, if at all, as a critical misfire, its official website tells a richer and more instructive story. AllTheQueensMen-Film.com encapsulates a transitional moment in film history, when the internet was becoming indispensable to promotion but had not yet transformed storytelling itself.

The site reflects the ambitions, assumptions, and limitations of its era. It sought to sell a complex tonal mix through static pages, to humanize controversial creative choices, and to reach audiences across borders without the tools filmmakers rely on today. In doing so, it became more than a marketing asset—it became a time capsule.

For anyone interested in early-2000s cinema, digital media history, or the evolution of film promotion, AllTheQueensMen-Film.com remains a revealing and instructive example of how movies once introduced themselves to the world.

 

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