During WWII, two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops.During WWII, two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops.During WWII, two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 2 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Nothing like the earlier version, The Man Who Never Was, this version has too much fluff
The first version was fast moving and much more entertaining with less characters, this had extraneous side stories, the operation is the main story, this was a Masterpiece Theater type production and a bit of a bore.
It was enjoyable enough but I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did.
It seemed to unnecessarily labour several male characters fancying Kelly Macdonald's character. All the time taken up on this tiresome sub-plot would have been better spent on some of the main story. Also, a triple-agent character giving a hand job to someone just seemed unlikely and out of place.
One of several nods to James Bond was an unfeasibly high-powered buzzsaw watch as a throwaway gag (because of Ian Fleming being a character) was corny and distracting.
I somehow expected it would be more engaging, gritty and revealing than the 1956 film, but it seemed pretty typical and formulaic like many modern British WWII themed films with foiled wartime romances crow-barred in.
There are some great actors in the film but some of them seem to be overused in other similar roles the same era. It even seemed a little like a mini "Death of Stalin" reunion for Jason Isaacs and Simon Russell Beale.
Perhaps I'm being too unkind to the film, but I was looking forward to it and fell a little short of expectations.
It seemed to unnecessarily labour several male characters fancying Kelly Macdonald's character. All the time taken up on this tiresome sub-plot would have been better spent on some of the main story. Also, a triple-agent character giving a hand job to someone just seemed unlikely and out of place.
One of several nods to James Bond was an unfeasibly high-powered buzzsaw watch as a throwaway gag (because of Ian Fleming being a character) was corny and distracting.
I somehow expected it would be more engaging, gritty and revealing than the 1956 film, but it seemed pretty typical and formulaic like many modern British WWII themed films with foiled wartime romances crow-barred in.
There are some great actors in the film but some of them seem to be overused in other similar roles the same era. It even seemed a little like a mini "Death of Stalin" reunion for Jason Isaacs and Simon Russell Beale.
Perhaps I'm being too unkind to the film, but I was looking forward to it and fell a little short of expectations.
The idea for the film is good and solid. However, it is diluted to the absurd with some weird menage a trois love plat that, if removed, would shorten the movie with a much needed half an hour.
The production team clearly had one too many during the making of this. Why anyone would add fiction to spoil a fascinating historical tale is beyond me.
Lets recap -- the Brits decieved Hitler through brilliant trickery into diverting his troops, thereby losing ground to the allies, and ultimately losing the war. If this was pure fiction it would be unbelievable or better told with Marvel characters or Tarantino. However, it wasnt fiction!! So why litter the core story with contrived subplots? The relationship between Montague and Jean was nonsense. Unrealistic. Irrelevant. Was it perhaps because someone promised Colin it was a love story to get him involved? Add to this, whilst the script and dialogue was largely good, at times it was awful. These were brainfreeze moments. Casting and performances were generally good, especially Matthew M and Penelope Wilton.
I did enjoy the movie but mainly because of the sheer fascination with the story, rather than the execution of this version of the story.
Lets recap -- the Brits decieved Hitler through brilliant trickery into diverting his troops, thereby losing ground to the allies, and ultimately losing the war. If this was pure fiction it would be unbelievable or better told with Marvel characters or Tarantino. However, it wasnt fiction!! So why litter the core story with contrived subplots? The relationship between Montague and Jean was nonsense. Unrealistic. Irrelevant. Was it perhaps because someone promised Colin it was a love story to get him involved? Add to this, whilst the script and dialogue was largely good, at times it was awful. These were brainfreeze moments. Casting and performances were generally good, especially Matthew M and Penelope Wilton.
I did enjoy the movie but mainly because of the sheer fascination with the story, rather than the execution of this version of the story.
OMG! Please. Really. This is one of the most incredible stories out of WWII and "they" had to toss in a love story that took away so much from the real story, it was sad.
And yes, it is FAR too long. OMG, I wanted to take a nap!
Having those two officers acting like high school jocks over The Girl was pathetic. And sad. What a waste of one hella story.
It is amazing what people can come up with they have to, though, isn't it!?
Make sure to watch the credits and see the real photographs of the real people!!
And yes, it is FAR too long. OMG, I wanted to take a nap!
Having those two officers acting like high school jocks over The Girl was pathetic. And sad. What a waste of one hella story.
It is amazing what people can come up with they have to, though, isn't it!?
Make sure to watch the credits and see the real photographs of the real people!!
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOperation Mincemeat was a massive gamble by British naval intelligence, even long after it was known the German spy network had fallen for it. A high ranking Nazi officer, thought to be Heinrich Himmler, supposedly told Adolf Hitler he had a feeling it was a deception, but his concerns were dismissed.
- GoofsWhen the three British officers arrive at the submarine base, the two Royal Navy officers salute palm down, while the RAF officer salutes palm out. This is correct; the form of a hand salute is different between the two services.
- Quotes
Ewen Montagu: But the real tribute tonight goes to Iris, my brilliant wife, who in the morning sails to less troubled shores with our nestlings in tow. Iris is wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and more patient than Job. But she has to be. She's married to me.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Historically Accurate Spy Movies (2023)
- SoundtracksFallen Soldier
Written by James Morgan and Juliette Pochin
Performed by James Morgan
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- El arma del engaño
- Filming locations
- Saunton Sands, Devon, England, UK(Sicily invasion)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $15,621,194
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content