Operation Mincemeat (2022)
Genre
:
War | History | Drama Rating
:
6.6 / 10
Release Date
:
01 April 2022 Resolution
:
1920x1080
Duration
:
2 : 8 minutes
Spoken Language
:
English Status
:
Released Overview
:
In 1943, two British intelligence officers concoct Operation Mincemeat, wherein their plan to drop a corpse with false papers off the coast of Spain would fool Nazi spies into believing the Allied forces were planning to attack by way of Greece rather than Sicily.
Cast Overview :
Ewen Montagu
by: Colin Firth
Charles Cholmondeley
by: Matthew Macfadyen
Jean Leslie
by: Kelly Macdonald
Hester Leggett
by: Penelope Wilton
Ian Fleming
by: Johnny Flynn
Admiral John Godfrey
by: Jason Isaacs
Ivor Montazac
by: Mark Gatiss
Iris Montazac
by: Hattie Morahan
Bentley Purchase
by: Paul Ritter
Winston Churchill
by: Simon Russell Beale
Sgt. Roger Dearborn / Glyndwr Michael
by: Lorne MacFadyen
Adolf Clauss
by: Markus von Lingen
Connie Bukes
by: Ruby Bentall
John Masterman
by: Alex Jennings
Hilda Georgina Cholmondeley
by: Ellie Haddington
Capt. David Ainsworth
by: Nicholas Rowe
Salvador Gomez-Beare
by: Will Keen
Jock Horsfall
by: Mark Bonnar
Charles Fraser-Smith
by: James Fleet
Karl Kuhlenthal
by: Alexander Beyer
Colonel Alexis von Roenne
by: Nico Birnbaum
Admiral Moreno
by: Pep Tosar
Ana Flores
by: Alba Brunet
Dr. Del Torno
by: Pedro Casablanc
Colonel Cerruti
by: Óscar Zafra
Judge Pascual del Pobil
by: Javier Godino
Teddy
by: Jonjo O'Neill
Nurse Tate
by: Amy Marston
Doris Michael
by: Gabrielle Creevy
Coroner Birtwistle
by: Simon Rouse
Coroner Pinfield
by: Paul Lancaster
Frank Sawyer (Churchill Butler)
by: Michael Bott
Patricia Trehearne
by: Charlotte Hamblin
Lt. Bill Jewell
by: Rufus Wright
Member Reviews :
Why, oh why, did they have to clutter this up with a romance? As a wartime adventure film, it's got all the ingredients for a cracker. As WWII starts to turn into a more offensive affair, the allies are looking for any means to divert the Nazis from their true intentions. To that end, "Montague" (Colin Firth) and "Colmondeley" (Matthew Macfadyen) concoct a cunning plan to plant fake documents on a corpse, wash it ashore in Spain and then let corruption and a nefarious network of spies do their worst! It's a remake of the exciting "Man Who Never Was" (1956) and to be fair, is quite a good one. Director John Madden manages to immerse us in the intricate, sometimes quite amusing, planning of this wacky scheme. Simon Russell Beale is entertainingly convincing as the stoic, borderline desperate, Churchill as is Jason Isaacs as the sceptical "Admiral Godfrey". Dame Penelope Wilton reminded me a bit of "Miss Baring" from ("I Was Monty's Double") from 1957 and the story gather pace nicely. Sadly, though, once their plan is activated the second, more dangerous, part of the plot is seriously rushed and undercooked. The enemy's attempts to verify what we think they have read is nowhere near developed well enough, and that's why the romance - between Firth and their clever and resourceful assistant "Jean" (Kelly MacDonald) drags it down. Sure, it's offers an humanity element depicting the impact of war on people. His (part Jewish) family have relocated to the USA for their safety and she is a war widow; but that storyline leads to intra-character conflict that shows up Macfadyen as not a particularly good actor. Still, I found the two hours flew by. The production looks great with only a sparing use of CGI, a fine score from Thomas Newman and it's underpinned by a good story. Could have been better, but still pretty good.
It's nothing that I overly enjoyed, though 'Operation Mincemeat' is a good flick.
A suitably entertaining (true, if likely 'reimagined' and all that) tale is told within roughly 128 minutes, I do think that run time could've been shorter but I wouldn't go as far as to say it drags or anything - I just felt a few moments at the end where it could've been wrapped up quicker, that's all.
Most things in this film are what you'd pretty much expect from a British production of this sort, including the cast which is full of many recognisable faces from across UK television and film. Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen are a pleasant pairing in the lead roles, while Kelly Macdonald leads the rest of the solid onscreen talent nicely. I also note the appearances of Johnny Flynn and Simon Russell Beale, who were both also in 2022's 'The Outfit' - a quality film, fwiw.
I could've, personally, done without the love squabble throughout, I didn't feel like it was adding anything and it wasn't exactly unpredictable. I get why it's there, given what occurs in the plot, but I wouldn't have longed for it had it not been included.
Most definitely worth a watch, all in all.
