Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat follows British spies in world war 2 that try to trick the German military in advance of a major battle.

I’m not really a fan of war movies, WW2 in particular; after a while they kind of blend together for me.
Though I am partial to the ones that feel different; Hacksaw Ridge for example was a refreshing subversion of the classic formula, and I feel the same about this movie.
Not only is a different sort of war movie, it’s a different sort of spy movie; it’s not about gunfights or gadgets (aside from a cute moment) but a more realistic look into espionage that pays homage to the real life spies that fought in the shadows to protect their homeland.

Sadly this movie falls apart in the character aspect.
The romance between Colin Firths Ewan and Kelly McDonald’s Jean felt underdeveloped and really dragged the movie down.
The idea of two character working on a cover story for a fictional soldier and his lover living vicariously through their fantastical characters has merit, but it never felt like a romance.
I honestly didn’t know that’s what they were going for until they just came out and said it.

But more annoyingly was the character of Charles, played by Matthew Macfadyen.
He comes across as a petty and jealous creep, who leers at Jean throughout the entire movie.
I would be fine if they wanted a love triangle, but it’s not even that. He’s not even an angle in this non-existant romance.
Nothing against Macfadyen’s portrayal; he’s clearly doing as directed and doing it well, but I question why he was written this way or what the movie was trying to bring across.

The movie really shines in the actual deception part of the movie; the plot is based placing fake documents on a dead body and making sure it makes its way into German hands, and that they believe it.
A lot of effort goes into showing the detail; manufacturing a cover story, getting the right dead body, having Charles wear the uniform of the soldier throughout the movie so the wear and tare looks realistic.
And when something goes wrong, there’s real tension; I was honestly on the edge of my seat time times when something threatened to unravel the whole plan.

It’s also a surprisingly funny movie; a lot of black humour works its way into the plot and it got a lot of laughs out of the audience I was with.

CONCLUSION

While the romance and characters felt lacking, the focus on espionage and the sense of humour helps elevate this movie.

My parents really enjoyed it so that may give you an idea if it’s right for you, and the parts that I strong are still enough for me to recommend this movie.
But maybe wait until it’s available for streaming; it is worth it for the unique take on the spy genre, so long as you can wait through the sucky parts.