TL;DR A fascinating story, moderately well told 3.5*
There's an old adage that World War II was won by American steel, British Intelligence, and Russian blood. Simplistic and trite, but like so many clichés there's an element of truth to it.
Operation Mincemeat was the name given to the British ruse of attempting to fool the Nazis into believing the assault on southern Europe would not come through the obvious stepping stone of Sicily but through Sardinia and Greece. A dead body, supposedly of a Royal Marines major, was placed to wash up on the shore of the Gulf of Cadiz carrying documents to support this scheme. The subterfuge and planning to make this seem believable was incredible. It was one of a multitude of such deceptions from British Intelligence but is arguably the best known and one of the most effective.
The story has previously been told in a very decent film, The Man Who Never Was, made in 1956 when many details pertaining to the operation were still firewalled. The full facts, now known, are so amazing they don't need any embellishment. Sadly, director John Madden and screenwriter Michelle Ashford can't resist adding a few contrivances which are as obvious as they are unnecessary, their resolutions implausibly weak - exactly the same issue that blighted the otherwise good film Hacksaw Ridge a few years ago.
I accept it's not a documentary and adding a few fripperies can be effective from an entertainment point of view. This is well shown in Bond creator Ian Fleming's very peripheral role being greatly increased; this allows for a couple of James Bond meta jokes, which raise a smile, and a wonderful small supporting role from James Fleet as Charles Fraser-Smith, the real-life inspiration for Q. Most of the acting is first rate, especially Penelope Wilton doing what she always does best, although Simon Russell Beale is unconvincing as Churchill.
The film is at its strongest in the first half as the scheme is hatched and planned, but it loses focus after the body is placed and recovered when the contrivances come to the fore and a gratuitous love sub-plot distracts. But at least it's better than John Madden's previous attempt at a WW2 story, his deeply disappointing adaptation of Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
It's an absolute pity that what could, and should, have been a classic film, a tribute to the men and women who did so much to defeat the Nazis, should ultimately be a bit of a let-down, albeit still always watchable.
There's an old adage that World War II was won by American steel, British Intelligence, and Russian blood. Simplistic and trite, but like so many clichés there's an element of truth to it.
Operation Mincemeat was the name given to the British ruse of attempting to fool the Nazis into believing the assault on southern Europe would not come through the obvious stepping stone of Sicily but through Sardinia and Greece. A dead body, supposedly of a Royal Marines major, was placed to wash up on the shore of the Gulf of Cadiz carrying documents to support this scheme. The subterfuge and planning to make this seem believable was incredible. It was one of a multitude of such deceptions from British Intelligence but is arguably the best known and one of the most effective.
The story has previously been told in a very decent film, The Man Who Never Was, made in 1956 when many details pertaining to the operation were still firewalled. The full facts, now known, are so amazing they don't need any embellishment. Sadly, director John Madden and screenwriter Michelle Ashford can't resist adding a few contrivances which are as obvious as they are unnecessary, their resolutions implausibly weak - exactly the same issue that blighted the otherwise good film Hacksaw Ridge a few years ago.
I accept it's not a documentary and adding a few fripperies can be effective from an entertainment point of view. This is well shown in Bond creator Ian Fleming's very peripheral role being greatly increased; this allows for a couple of James Bond meta jokes, which raise a smile, and a wonderful small supporting role from James Fleet as Charles Fraser-Smith, the real-life inspiration for Q. Most of the acting is first rate, especially Penelope Wilton doing what she always does best, although Simon Russell Beale is unconvincing as Churchill.
The film is at its strongest in the first half as the scheme is hatched and planned, but it loses focus after the body is placed and recovered when the contrivances come to the fore and a gratuitous love sub-plot distracts. But at least it's better than John Madden's previous attempt at a WW2 story, his deeply disappointing adaptation of Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
It's an absolute pity that what could, and should, have been a classic film, a tribute to the men and women who did so much to defeat the Nazis, should ultimately be a bit of a let-down, albeit still always watchable.
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