Operation Mincemeat is a satisfying, compelling war drama

Sometimes you don’t need a movie to dazzle and wow, sometimes you just want what it promised on the box.

Perhaps it’s the silly name that sets up an expectation that Operation Mincemeat is a satire, as if at any moment, someone will break out the slapstick a la The Death of Stalin.

It takes a little adjustment of your expectations to remember that Operation Mincemeat is a war drama, albeit one with a light touch and more than a few moments of levity. It never feels burdensome and that’s not something you can say about many, many war dramas.

There’s a great cast including Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Johnny Flynn, Jason Isaacs and Penelope Wilton, who all deliver solid, restrained performances.

It’s confidently directed by John Madden (of Shakespeare In Love fame) with a pacy screenplay from Michelle Ashford. It’s exactly the kind of well-rounded, satisfying movie which works on all levels but doesn’t particularly dazzle on any – and it doesn’t have to because it does what it needs to do.

Of course Colin Firth was good in it, of course Matthew Macfadyen was good in it and of course Kelly Macdonald was good in it. Everyone does the job they were hired for and the audience is rewarded for their faith with a compelling story told well.

Operation Mincemeat is in cinemas on May 12.

You’re not going to walk away from it with any major quibbles (it could have done without the voiceover narration), and you’ll probably have learnt something interesting while expressing esteem for its talented cast and impressive production values.

Based on the story of a World War II deception, Operation Mincemeat’s unusual moniker comes from the real-life plan, and the absurdity of the name reflects the ambitious and almost-sure-to-fail risks.

Ewen Montagu (Firth) is retiring from his respected legal career but everyone at his party knows what he’s really off to do – work for naval intelligence.

During a pitch meeting for a plethora of ideas of how to thwart the Nazis and advance a planned invasion of Sicily, crucial to Allied efforts, Ewen teams up with Charles Cholmondeley (Macfadyen), a pilot seconded to the intelligence unit.

Charles has a wild plan to make the Nazis think the Allies are directing their efforts at Greece, and deflect their attention away from Sicily. He wants to take a dead body, furnish it with false intelligence papers, and float it to Spanish shores where Nazi spies are sure to make a play for it.

Kelly Macdonald and Matthew Macfadyen star in Operation Mincemeat – based on a World War II deception. Picture: Transmission

The idea is that this corpse needs to be convincing enough as a dead airman and that the Nazis will believe they have come across important British secrets and will alter their Mediterranean plans, opening the way for the Allies’ real operation.

Easier said than done, especially when you need to convince crafty German spies.

The operation, which also counts among its team Hester (Wilton), Jean (Macdonald) and a young Ian Fleming (Flynn), involves sketching out the intricacies of the man who never lived, the fake soldier whose concocted story must pass muster.

It’s a real lesson in storytelling, and the filmmakers remind us all of how much every life is made of moments and people.

The team are caught up in the whirlwind adventure of the operation, an infectious enthusiasm that is passed on through the film’s dynamic energy. Even though there are grave stakes at hand, they’re having fun, and in turn, so are we.

Rating: 3/5

Operation Mincemeat is in cinemas on Thursday, May 12