Operation Mincemeat Review

Ewen Montagu -played by the always brilliant Colin Firth- and Charles Cholmondeley -played by a lesser-known Mathew Macfadyen , but whose interpretation does not go unnoticed- are two officers of the United Kingdom intelligence service who face a totally crazy operation: to pass off the corpse of a civilian for that of a British soldier, and thus deliver false information to the German enemy.

During the operation, Montagu and Cholmondeley will be involved in sentimental and family difficulties and even in an espionage plot, which will deteriorate their relationship and make their mission even more difficult.

Operation Mincemeat Review

The prolific director, John Madden (' The Sloane Affair ', ' The Exotic Marigold Hotel' ), manages to generate constant tension not only because of the scenes in which the deception itself is brewing, but because we also witness the psychological and emotional wear of the two protagonists.

The script of the film Operation Mincemeat shows us how lonely and incompatible with sentimental and family stability is usually the life of people who fight for their country, making us empathize with their sacrifice and commit ourselves more emotionally to the history of these two men. Still, maybe it was worth it and there was time to delve a little deeper into their intimacy, especially in Montagu 's case . But it has been preferred to keep the focus on the operation and not adulterate too much the personal life of historical figures.

A bizarre story

There are moments of a certain load of black humor, probably unintentional, since it arises naturally as the operation is somewhat macabre. These moments serve as sort of little comic reliefs that don't quite break the dramatic tension and feel very organic.

In addition, the viewer will realize how easy it would have been to make the film Operation Mincemeat a pure joke proposal, or worse -in fact, the worst thing that can happen to a film-, that it would have become a inadvertent comedy. But it has managed to maintain a serious and sometimes even solemn tone that does greater justice to those who participated in the operation, without forgetting how hilarious what we are seeing is deep down.

A war without action

That said, the historical moment in which it is set and the label of war cinema can lead the public to think that it is a military action film or in which an epic episode is narrated. Not so at all. We will not see any tanks, any planes, not even a single shot.

The purported feat stands out more dramatically for its implausibility than for having a definitive impact on the course of the war. It may not be strictly necessary to be in the most transcendental of scenarios to tell a good story (emphasize that "Operation Mincemeat, definitely, it is") but it could be somewhat disappointing for those looking for a great legendary feat; even though the sacrifice of the protagonists is not actually less heroic for not having shed blood or having fired a weapon.

Final opinion of the movie Operation Mincemeat

In conclusion, the film Operation Mincemeat is an interesting proposal due to the naturalness with which small moments of black humor are experienced within a tough story, in which tension is handled brilliantly. Also for some remarkable performances by both the main characters and many supporting actors. But perhaps the main incentive is to witness how that was really proposed and the person in charge did not lose his job. "Seeing is believing.