OPERATION MINCEMEAT

Review: During 1943, two intelligence officers, Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley use a dead man and use false papers to outwit German troops.
Director: John Madden
Actors: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Rufus Wright, Ruby Bentall, Charlotte Hamblin, Johnny Flynn, Lorne MacFadyen, Penelope Wilton, Mark Gatiss, Hattie Morahan, Simon Russell Beale, Jason Isaacs and Alex Jennings
Year: 2021
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller and War
Conclusion: 4/5
Based on an extraordinary true story. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Before watching it, I knew nothing about this story. I have to say what a great cast this involves, including Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Johnny Flynn and the amazing Jason Isaacs. I enjoyed seeing Matthew Macfadyen take on more of a lead role. I would have liked to have seen more of Ruby Bentall, but I thought she gave a very good cameo performance. I also thought the same about Jason Isaacs and feel like they could have used him more. The female leads, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton give very strong performances. I am sure that Simon Russell Beale must have enjoyed the opportunity to play the part of Winston Churchill which has been played by so many actors over the years, for example Gary Oldman in The Darkest Hour (2017). The whole film is very well balanced between all the characters and is not dominated by one person. Both Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen have played the character of Mr. Darcy. Colin in Pride and Prejudice (TV) (1995) and Matthew in Pride and Prejudice (2005). Apparently, Johnny Flynn had to meet with the director before being cast in this film as the most important thing for John Madden was Johnny Flynn’s voice and to see whether it was good enough for the film (Johnny Flynn talking on Kermode on Film podcast). I thought the editing was really good as I didn’t get bored with any of the scenes and the director kept the whole film moving. You could say that this is a good example of traditional British film making at its best, with the atmosphere and appearance of the war period very well recreated. The musical score is very effective in creating tension and atmosphere but it is never too much. The script was very well written by Michelle Ashford who has adapted it from the nonfiction book called ‘Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II’ (2010) by Ben Macintyre. This film gives a fascinating insight into the difficulties of creating a successful deception in wartime. For me this has everything you want in a film. Warning: Contains No Food!!!