The film, directed by John Madden, recreates ‘Operation Mincemeat’, a milestone in English espionage during World War II.
John Madden narrates in ‘The Weapon of Deception’ the almost unbelievable ‘Operation Mincemeat’, one of the most incredible allied counterintelligence stratagems of World War II. It is not the first time that the cinema deals with the episode. Ronald Neame treated him from his purely military perspective in ‘The Man Who Never Was’ (1956), based on the book written by his main architect, Ewen Montagu (all played by Clifton Webb and here, by Colin Firth). Director John Madden has been inspired, however, by the novelization of the events by Ben Macintyre, an author specializing in espionage stories. The story and the characters gain a literary dimension and the war plot shares the limelight with a romantic drama; which aligns the film with titles like ‘Goodbye Street’ (Peter Hyams, 1979) and ‘The Eye of the Needle’ (Richard Marquand, 1981). The film has the qualities of a British production, from some impeccable performers, although somewhat cold, among whom it shines a captivating Kelly Macdonaldto a careful setting.
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DATA SHEET
Direction: John Madden Distribution: Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn, and Jason Isaacs Original title: Operation Mincemeat Country: USA, UK Year: 2021 Release date: 20–05-2022 Gender: Drama Film script: Michelle Ashford. Book: Ben Macintyre Duration: 128 minutes
Synopsis: It is 1943. The Allies are determined to end Hitler’s control of occupied Europe and plan an all-out assault on Sicily; But they face an impossible challenge: how to protect their troops from possible slaughter during a daunting invasion. The operation hinges on two brilliant intelligence officers, Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen), who devise the smartest, harebrained disinformation strategy of the war, centered on the most unlikely secret agent: a dead man.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
