Movie number 19 of 2022:
Movie: Operation Mincemeat
Theatre: Hoyts Victoria Gardens
Stars: 4.5
I love a good caper movie as much as I love English films. Operation Mincemeat brings out the best of both of these genres. Making this even better, it's based on a true story.
There is a part of me that is certain that I was some sort of British operative in the Second World War. Things are far too familiar to me. What always draws me back is the British sense of pluck and sheer gall at what they get up to.
Operation Mincemeat is no different.
The plot is centred around a covert operation to divert the Germans away from Sicily, allowing British Forces to makes gains in Italy.
There is a lot riding on this operation. The Brits are not doing well and to somehow they think they can outfox the Germans with a extremely risky, barking mad plot involving a dead body washing up on a Spanish beach, a lot of double agents and a hell of a lot of dumb luck. And this film goes into the ins and out of how this was done.
Leading Operation Mincemeat is Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) - a QC who has been working for MI5 during the war. Along with Charles Chomondeley (Matthew MacFadyen) they set up this covert operation in the basement of Admiratly House and along with Montagu's ever faithful secretary, Hester (Penelope Wilton) and the apple of Charles' eye, secretary Jean (Kelly Macdonald). Over the course of three months, Operation Mincemeat works against the odds to find a credible solution to an incredible problem - that of how to send a dead body, with official papers into the hands of the Germans, therefore making them change their strategy. There are also some wonderful cameos from Simon Russell Beale and Jason Isaacs, among others.
What appears to be a shaggy dog story is not. This film is based on fact. In some ways, a war time Weekend at Bernies. But there is so much more to this. There's Montagu's marraige woes. The spies spying on spies. There's a wonderfully gentle and chaste love triange which is as sweet as it is surprising (and nobody does unrequited love like an emotionally stagnant posh Brit). And there's a group of people who work together to make the incredible credible, right down to giving this dead body a full life.
I loved this film. And yes, I adore British cinema, but really, the hero of this film is Glyndwr Michael, who honorably served his country once dead.
The set, the costumes and the script are all on point. There are some hysterically funny moments here, along with some awfully scary scenes.
Oh, and there's Ian Fleming of the James Bond fame sitting there on his typewriter tapping away in the background.
Yes, this story has been told before. There's the 1956 version entitled The Man Who Never Was, but I don't think it would tell this story with the same flair.
This is an awesome tale told with great finesse. Definitely worth your time, even if it's just for the history lesson. I'll also file this in the "Take your mother" file. I know my mum will adore this.
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