Operation Mincemeat (2022)

 

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Operation Mincemeat (2022)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Length: 2h 8min
Rating: PG-13
Production/Distribution: See-Saw Films, Cohen Media Group, Archery Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Paradiz, Shaw Organisation, Warner Bros. Pictures Germany, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros., Joy n Cinema, Netflix
Director: John Madden
Writers: Michelle Ashford, Ben Macintyre
Actors: Charlotte Hamblin, Colin Firth, Jason Isaacs, Johnny Flynn, Kelly Macdonald, Lorne MacFadyen, Mark Gatiss, Matthew Macfadyen, Penelope Wilton, Ruby Bentall, Rufus Wright, Caspar Jennings, Hattie Morahan, Dolly Gadsdon, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Bott, Alex Jennings, Ellie Haddington, Paul Lancaster, Simon Rouse, Paul Ritter, Amy Marston, Jonjo O'Neill, Gabrielle Creevy, Nicholas Rowe, Will Keen, Alexander Beyer, Markus von Lingen, Nico Birnbaum, James Fleet, Mark Bonnar, Javier Godino, Pedro Casablanc, Laura Morgan, Pep Tosar, Alba Brunet, Óscar Zafra, Lin Gallagher, Graham Curry
 
IMDb Blurb: During WWII, two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops.

 

Cat’s Point of View:
While I have a soft spot for World War II movies, they can sometimes be quite hard to watch. There are an abundance of reasons why - one of them being that I miss my grandfathers terribly and they both served in the conflict. I also have to be in a particular mood to enjoy straight war drama. It’s just not generally my cup of tea. When you get into the nuts and bolts of espionage, however, that’s a different story. I can identify with those tales on a whole other level.
 
It’s worth noting that my anticipation for Operation Mincemeat gave the movie a #4 placement on May’s Top 20 list.
 
Spy stories carry weight and tension beyond the battlefield carnage or even modern action sequences. I love that, if executed correctly, how they can engage the mind and ensnare your senses. I enjoyed sinking into the twists and turns of Operation Mincemeat’s story and finding my pulse rising in spite of my fore-knowledge of the eventual outcome.

 
While Operation Mincemeat outlines a story crazy enough to be fiction, it is a retelling of actual WWII events that saved countless lives in Europe.
 
There were so many nuances that brought humanity to all of the people involved with the task of pulling the wool over Hitler’s eyes so that German forces wouldn’t be waiting on the beaches of Sicily that fateful July. I loved the wry wit and the layers to each of the characters. The movie’s tale wove in elements of humor, ambition, jealousy, and romance in organic ways that didn’t undermine the bigger picture or the underpinning of suspense.
 
Operation Mincemeat didn’t need car chases, aerial dogfights, or explosions to keep my attention. I was just as invested watching Colin Firth (Mary Poppins Returns, 1917, Mothering Sunday) and Matthew Macfadyen's (Anna Karenina, Ripper Street, Succession) characters pacing and staring at what was effectively a typewriter, waiting for news.

 
I was charmed by the story and impressed with the details of the caper that it brought to light. I never lost interest and didn’t find my mind wandering, as it sometimes does – especially during long and/or dry subject matters. I was engaged throughout, and that’s saying a lot for my ADHD brain.
 
Firth and Macfaydyen weren’t the only stand-outs among the cast, either. Jason Isaacs (The Death of Stalin, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Occupation: Rainfall) embodied once more a character that I loved every minute of disliking. Kelly Macdonald (Goodbye Christopher Robin, T2 Trainspotting, Line of Duty) deftly brought to life a key player in this spy game with real gravitas. I could go on, but I really don’t need to.
 
I don’t regret for one minute placing Operation Mincemeat as high as it was on my list this month, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I even watched with my picky teen daughter and she didn’t complain one bit (in spite of this not being her cup of tea).
 
If you have Netflix and enjoy tales of intrigue, Operation Mincemeat is worth a shot. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 84%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 64%
Metascore – 65%
Metacritic User Score – 6/10
IMDB Score –6.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
Movie Trailer: