by Josh Sewell
Operation Mincemeat
(Rated PG-13 for strong language, some sexual content, brief war violence, disturbing images and smoking. Now playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix.)
While there are no hard and fast rules for the Dad Movie, most people know when they’re watching one: a film that seems specifically designed to appeal to middle-aged men, either because of the cast or the subject matter. The best examples of the genre combine both.
From that perspective, Operation Mincemeat, which hit Netflix earlier this week, is a worthy entry in the Dad Movie canon. In the streaming age, I’m not sure what kind of impact it will have, but in a previous era it would’ve played constantly on TNT. Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Jason Isaacs (all of whom have a number of dad favorites on their resumés), and based on a real, astonishing story from World War II, the film highlights the sacrifice and ingenuity of flawed-yet-honorable people fighting to save the world from a fascist madman.
In 1943, Allied forces are determined to weaken Adolf Hitler’s grip on Europe with a plan to launch a full-scale attack on Sicily. Unfortunately, the Nazis know that’s their only path to victory, so any effort will likely lead to annihilation. It’s up to a team of intelligence officers, led by Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen), to come up with a disinformation strategy centered on an unlikely secret agent: a dead man.
Michelle Ashford’s intelligent screenplay (adapted from Ben Macintyre’s book) manages to convey a ton of exposition without making it sound like a lecture, no small feat considering the convoluted plan at the heart of the narrative. She also employs a terrific running gag in which almost every officer is working on a spy novel – including some guy named Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn), the future James Bond creator who played a role in the real-life operation.
John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) tackles the material with assured direction, getting a big assist from Sebastian Blenkov’s beautiful cinematography and Thomas Newman’s lovely score. The multi-talented collaboration ensures Operation Mincemeat is always interesting and visually appealing, even if it does take a little while to get going.
The cast, a murder’s row of recognizable UK character actors, helps sell the importance of the mission and the toll it takes on these intelligence agents’ personal lives and psychological states. In addition to strong work from Firth, Macfadyen and Isaacs (once again utilizing his talent for playing guys the audience wants to punch), there are terrific performances from Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Mark Gatiss and Nicholas Rowe.
In an amusing coincidence (to me, at least), the film is also a romantic period drama team-up of sorts: Firth and Macfadyen have both played Mr. Darcy in highly regarded adaptations of Pride & Prejudice. Jane Austen fans will be happy to know the two actors share plenty of scenes together. What’s more, their characters have feelings for the same woman, which complicates an already difficult mission even further. It’s not just a Dad Movie – there’s something for everyone.
While Operation Mincemeat doesn’t do anything groundbreaking with the spy drama, it tells an astonishing real-life story in a compelling way. Considering we’re kicking off a summer movie season that promises a tsunami of mega-budget franchise properties, I’d consider that a small victory.
I hate that it won’t get much of a life on the big screen – it’s been relegated to a brief limited release to qualify for awards season later this year – but such is the new cinematic world we live in. I suppose I should be happy movies like this still exist at all.
Grade: B+
Home Video Spotlight
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(Not rated. Available on May 17.)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, one of the all-time great Westerns, makes its 4K Ultra HD debut next week as part of the Paramount Presents line in commemoration of its 60th anniversary. Directed by John Ford and boasting an incredible cast including James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine and Lee Van Cleef, the film tells the classic story of a senator, his old friend and a despicable outlaw.
The release includes Blu-ray and digital copies of the film, along with a new Filmmaker Focus featuring film historian Leonard Maltin discussing John Ford, the film, and its legacy. It also contains a feature commentary by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and his archival recordings with John Ford and James Stewart, as well as several making-of featurettes.
Infinite
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some bloody images, strong language and brief drug use. Now streaming on Paramount Plus and available on home video May 17.)
Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in director Antoine Fuqua’s sci-fi action flick Infinite, about characters who must use memories and skills from past lives to protect the future of humanity. The film co-stars Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend, Liz Carr, Toby Jones and Dylan O’Brien. The release also includes four behind-the-scenes featurettes.
(Rated PG-13 for strong language, some sexual content, brief war violence, disturbing images and smoking. Now playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix.)
While there are no hard and fast rules for the Dad Movie, most people know when they’re watching one: a film that seems specifically designed to appeal to middle-aged men, either because of the cast or the subject matter. The best examples of the genre combine both.
From that perspective, Operation Mincemeat, which hit Netflix earlier this week, is a worthy entry in the Dad Movie canon. In the streaming age, I’m not sure what kind of impact it will have, but in a previous era it would’ve played constantly on TNT. Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Jason Isaacs (all of whom have a number of dad favorites on their resumés), and based on a real, astonishing story from World War II, the film highlights the sacrifice and ingenuity of flawed-yet-honorable people fighting to save the world from a fascist madman.
In 1943, Allied forces are determined to weaken Adolf Hitler’s grip on Europe with a plan to launch a full-scale attack on Sicily. Unfortunately, the Nazis know that’s their only path to victory, so any effort will likely lead to annihilation. It’s up to a team of intelligence officers, led by Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen), to come up with a disinformation strategy centered on an unlikely secret agent: a dead man.
Michelle Ashford’s intelligent screenplay (adapted from Ben Macintyre’s book) manages to convey a ton of exposition without making it sound like a lecture, no small feat considering the convoluted plan at the heart of the narrative. She also employs a terrific running gag in which almost every officer is working on a spy novel – including some guy named Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn), the future James Bond creator who played a role in the real-life operation.
John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) tackles the material with assured direction, getting a big assist from Sebastian Blenkov’s beautiful cinematography and Thomas Newman’s lovely score. The multi-talented collaboration ensures Operation Mincemeat is always interesting and visually appealing, even if it does take a little while to get going.
The cast, a murder’s row of recognizable UK character actors, helps sell the importance of the mission and the toll it takes on these intelligence agents’ personal lives and psychological states. In addition to strong work from Firth, Macfadyen and Isaacs (once again utilizing his talent for playing guys the audience wants to punch), there are terrific performances from Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Mark Gatiss and Nicholas Rowe.
In an amusing coincidence (to me, at least), the film is also a romantic period drama team-up of sorts: Firth and Macfadyen have both played Mr. Darcy in highly regarded adaptations of Pride & Prejudice. Jane Austen fans will be happy to know the two actors share plenty of scenes together. What’s more, their characters have feelings for the same woman, which complicates an already difficult mission even further. It’s not just a Dad Movie – there’s something for everyone.
While Operation Mincemeat doesn’t do anything groundbreaking with the spy drama, it tells an astonishing real-life story in a compelling way. Considering we’re kicking off a summer movie season that promises a tsunami of mega-budget franchise properties, I’d consider that a small victory.
I hate that it won’t get much of a life on the big screen – it’s been relegated to a brief limited release to qualify for awards season later this year – but such is the new cinematic world we live in. I suppose I should be happy movies like this still exist at all.
Grade: B+
Home Video Spotlight
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(Not rated. Available on May 17.)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, one of the all-time great Westerns, makes its 4K Ultra HD debut next week as part of the Paramount Presents line in commemoration of its 60th anniversary. Directed by John Ford and boasting an incredible cast including James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine and Lee Van Cleef, the film tells the classic story of a senator, his old friend and a despicable outlaw.
The release includes Blu-ray and digital copies of the film, along with a new Filmmaker Focus featuring film historian Leonard Maltin discussing John Ford, the film, and its legacy. It also contains a feature commentary by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and his archival recordings with John Ford and James Stewart, as well as several making-of featurettes.
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some bloody images, strong language and brief drug use. Now streaming on Paramount Plus and available on home video May 17.)
Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in director Antoine Fuqua’s sci-fi action flick Infinite, about characters who must use memories and skills from past lives to protect the future of humanity. The film co-stars Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend, Liz Carr, Toby Jones and Dylan O’Brien. The release also includes four behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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