Film Review: Operation Mincemeat (2022) Dir. by John Madden
© Unit still courtesy of Netflix
Written by Belle McIntyre
This WWII British tale of espionage, and military maneuverings based on a book of the same title by Ben Macintyre takes place in 1943 and it is very specific to an actual scheme to trick Hitler off the track of the location of the Allied invasion. The outlandishness of the subterfuge was appealing to Winston Churchill and put me in mind of ARGO. This is that story and it is an engrossing, well-paced, well-acted, and beautifully filmed look at WWII intrigues without the warfare.
© Unit still courtesy of Netflix
Two retired military men, Lt. Commander Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Admiral Charles Chomondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) are jointly serving on the Twenty Committee, the counter-espionage and deception operation of MI5. Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn) is also in the small offices of Operation Mincemeat, ostensibly working on something else, but no doubt taking in the myriad small details of the inner working of MI5. Churchill has promised the United States that the Allies will invade Sicily. The Twenty Committee is tasked with creating the diversion of Nazi forces to Greece to protect the invasion. Operation Mincemeat is the idea of Adm. Chomondeley, which entails finding or creating a convincing British soldier who has drowned and been picked up by the Nazis and who happens to be carrying classified misinformation about the Allied landing in Greece. The intricacies which are all critical and numerous, and any of which could blow their cover. The task becomes so absorbing that the entire staff gets in the thrall of creating a believable personal history for the dead man who will be the courier.
The new identity of the unknown corpse is Major William Martin. One of the secretaries Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald) offers her photograph to be in his wallet as his sweetheart if she can be included in the plot. One of the most touching moments comes when Montagu’s trusted assistant, Hester (Penelope Wilton), a spinster, writes an imaginary love letter to Major Martin. It is so thoroughly heartfelt that it is impossible to imagine it could be fake. In fact, Major Martin has almost become real to them all. He has to be real to convince the Nazis. No detail too small.
© Unit still courtesy of Netflix
The logistics of getting the body to a reliable place to be picked up and how to make sure that the documents don’t get separated or destroyed, and then creating a chain of connections so that the British know if it has succeeded keeps you fully involved. There are also many office intrigues as well as chain of command complications. The suspense is real as the corpse of Major Martin leaves their control. If this sounds macabre, it is not. It is handled with a light touch and plenty of gallows humor. The ruse works and the Allied troops encounter minimal resistance. Their success will not be acknowledged for years. Great final scene has the two men standing alone. They finally agree to let go of their petty rivalry and differences of opinion and go have a drink. It almost becomes a buddy movie.
Photo Editing by Lenin Arache
